To participate in the GameDay Football Challenge, schools need to track the quantity of recyclables, organic food waste, and trash generated at one or more regular season home football games. Following that game, schools will report quantities of each material type. Schools will only be ranked in the categories for which they have weight data. Schools will be permitted to report numbers for more than one game if they choose, but only the best performing game’s collection data will be used to determine ranking.
Materials
Report recycling, composting, reuse, donation, and trash disposal in pounds. The following materials are included in the GameDay Challenge:
Paper
• Boxboard / chipboard
• Programs
• Newspaper
• Office paper (all colors)
Beverage Containers
• Plastic bottles (e.g., soda, water, bottles)
• Plastic cups
• Aluminum cans
• Glass bottles and jars
• Steel cans
Corrugated Cardboard
• Cardboard boxes
Mixed Recyclable Materials
• Any of the materials listed under paper, bottle and can, and corrugated cardboard recycling collected in a mixed manner such as single-stream organics
Food – Donation
• Surplus edible food donated for human or animal consumption
Organics – Composting
• Pre and post-consumer food waste
• Compostable dinnerware, napkins, etc.
• Fats/Oils/Greases going to biodiesel or other repurposed uses
Trash
• Municipal solid waste (MSW) disposed via landfill or incinerator
Estimating Weights
Actual weights of recyclables should always be used where possible. If actual weights are impossible to obtain, weight estimates derived from volume measurements may be substituted using the following guidelines:
– Volume-to-weight conversions must be done using the approved conversion factors. The factors below are loose/ non-compacted. If you need additional factors, please contact CR2ZW@nwf.org.
o Programs: 950 lbs/cubic yard
o Newspaper: 400 lbs/cubic yard
o Office Paper: 364 lbs/cubic yard
o Plastic Bottles: 35 lbs/cubic yard
o Plastic Cups: 30 lbs/cubic yard
o Glass Bottles: 1,000 lbs/cubic yard
o Steel Cans: 150 lbs/cubic yard
o Corrugated Cardboard: 177 lbs/cubic yard
o Commingled Beverage Containers (plastic/glass/aluminum): 177 lbs/cubic yard
o Food Service Waste Including Service Ware: 50 lbs/cubic yard
o Food Prep and Scraps: 1,000 lbs/cubic yard
o Food Waste Including Corn on the Cob, Bones, Shellfish): 200 lbs/cubic yard
– Volume estimates must be based on actual observed quantities. For instance, a five yard dumpster of cardboard must be observed to be full, or a visual determination of how full it is must be made. Simply reporting based on capacity of the container without observed quantities is not allowed.
Return to the main GameDay Football Challenge webpage.