Total Impact of 2026 CR2ZW:

• 1.4 million students, faculty and staff reached
• 15.7 million pounds of waste donated, composted and recycled
• Participants prevented the release of 14,592.88 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equal to avoiding the annual emissions from 3,072 cars

Congratulations to the 2026 Campus Race to Zero Waste winners! 

Diversion:

• Kendall College of Art and Design (Michigan) - small campus 
• Seattle University (Washington) - medium campus 
• Cornell University (New York) - large campus 

Per Capita Recycling:

• Coe College (Iowa) - small campus 
• University of Wisconsin Stout - medium campus
• University of Rochester (New York) - large campus

Reduce Food Loss by Rescuing Food:

• Macalester College (Minnesota) - small campus
• University of North Carolina Asheville - medium campus
• Miami University (Ohio) - large campus

Diverting Food Waste from Landfills:

• Aquinas College (Michigan) - small campus
• Valparaiso University (Indiana) - medium campus
• Cornell University (New York) - large campus

GameDay Basketball:

• Ohio University - diversion
• University of Richmond (Virginia) - per capita recycling

Electronics Recycling:

• Bowling Green State University (Ohio) - total amount recycled and per capita recycling

Download the press release template to customize and share your competition results and best practices in waste reduction with your campus and/or local media.