In 2012, The University of Texas committed itself to diverting 90 percent of all trash generated on campus to recycling or compost centers rather than the landfill by the end of 2020. The ambitious goal kicked off a wave of sustainability efforts both large and small throughout the university. Research labs established reuse protocols for gloves, plastic food cartons were exchanged for compostable trays, and even the grounds crew found a way to reuse fallen tree branches. One of the most successful programs to come out of the university’s zero waste directive was the sustainability sort squad, which has managed to rally thousands of students to divert waste produced during football games from landfills.
Before the pandemic, dozens of students in bright green T-shirts emblazoned with “Sustainability Squad” would gather outside the stadium the morning after each home football game to separate items from the trash that could be recycled or composted. The effort grew out of an initiative started by Texas Athletics in 2010 to reduce waste from football tailgaters, which soon evolved into a more ambitious effort to achieve zero waste at all sporting events. Before long, it had become one of the most successful zero waste programs on the Forty Acres, one which sees Texas Athletics regularly diverting between 60 and 70 percent of waste from home football games. During the 2019 football season, the Texas Athletics Sustainability Squad prevented a total of 359,800 pounds of waste from ending up in the landfill. But when COVID-19 struck in March 2020, the department made the decision to stop the sorting program indefinitely.
Smaller crowds this past season didn’t necessarily mean less waste. Although there were fewer folks binning nacho trays, there was a new stream of disposable masks and gloves worn by spectators, as well as a significant uptick in the amount of single-use packaging at concession stands to address public health concerns about shared items. Condiment dispensers have been replaced with small packets, and buffets have transformed into single-serving meals. Much of the new concessions packaging is not recyclable, which George Arredondo says actually led to more waste at football games last season. Arredondo, who took over as Texas Athletics’ sustainability program manager in 2019, says they still achieved above a 50 percent waste diversion rate during home football games, though, and he’s working with vendors to find eco-friendly concession packaging for next season’s football games.