Ohio State Wins 2025 GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge
2/4/2026 10:40:00 AM | General
Ohio State Sets the Standard for Zero Waste at College Football’s Biggest Stage
Columbus, Ohio (January 30, 2026) — On fall Saturdays, Ohio Stadium transforms into one of the largest event venues in the nation, welcoming more than 100,000 fans for Buckeye football. With that scale comes a significant operational challenge: managing waste efficiently and responsibly. During the 2025 football season, The Ohio State University once again demonstrated that championship-level athletics and resource stewardship go hand in hand.
Across seven home football games, Ohio State achieved a season waste diversion rate of 92.73 percent, surpassing its 90 percent zero-waste benchmark. More than 257,000 pounds of material were diverted from landfills through recycling, composting, and reuse, while just 20,152 pounds were sent to landfill.
The season’s highest diversion rate occurred on September 6 against Grambling State University, when Ohio State reached 94.32 percent diversion - a result of strong coordination among staff, vendors, volunteers, and fans.
“Managing waste at this scale requires commitment from every part of the operation,” said Logan Gould, Zero Waste Coordinator. “From our Athletics staff and collaborators across campus and the community to the thousands of fans in the stands, this program demonstrates what’s possible when everyone works together to make zero waste a reality.”
Colin Thompson, Ohio State's Sr. Associate Athletic Director of Facilities and added, “Ohio State Athletics is proud to showcase how teamwork and strong coordination make game days run smoothly. From staff to vendors to fans, everyone plays a role in turning Ohio Stadium into a model of efficiency and responsible resource stewardship.”
A Team Effort on Game Day
Game days at Ohio Stadium rank among the most complex event operations in collegiate sports, and success at this scale depends on collaboration. The Zero Waste Program is supported by Ohio State Athletics, Levy Restaurants, Facilities Operations and Development, Ohio Penal Industries, Price Farms Organics, Rumpke, Navy ROTC, LYFE Savers, Ohio State student interns, and thousands of Buckeye fans working together to reduce landfill waste.
Community and Student Engagement
Community involvement remains central to Ohio State’s zero waste success. In partnership with LYFE Savers, scholarships are offered to high school students who served as Zero Waste Ambassadors inside the stadium. During the 2025 season, 80 high school students contributed more than 1,600 volunteer hours, with 35–40 students supporting each home game.
Ohio State student interns also played a critical role, contributing more than 240 hours supporting operations, data collection, and fan education while gaining hands-on experience in resource stewardship and large-scale event management.
Tailgating Success
Tailgating diversion efforts saw significant improvement in 2025. Recycling capture rates in tailgate areas increased by 25 percent compared to 2024, with more than 32,000 pounds of recyclables diverted from areas surrounding Ohio Stadium. Paired landfill and recycling dumpsters, along with staff support and recycling bag distribution, helped drive these results.
National Recognition and Ohio EPA Support
Ohio State Athletics’ zero waste leadership earned multiple national honors, including first place in the 2024 and 2025 Campus Race to Zero Waste GameDay Football Zero Waste Touchdown Challenge stadium category and the 2025 Green Sports Alliance Play to Zero Waste Champion Award, marking the third consecutive year Ohio State has received the distinction. The program was also featured on CBS national news, highlighting Ohio State’s leadership on a national stage.
Further strengthening these efforts, Ohio State received funding through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Recycle Ohio Grant Program in 2025. The grant supported upgrades to waste infrastructure in premium areas of Ohio Stadium, improving material sorting, increasing diversion, and reducing contamination. It also enabled the expansion of year-round recycling and composting services supported by Facilities Operations and Development and Rumpke.
Zero Waste Beyond Football
Zero waste practices at Ohio Stadium extend beyond football Saturdays. Beginning in early 2025 with the launch of the grant project, the stadium diverted approximately 16,000 pounds of food waste and 7,400 pounds of recyclables from non-football operations and continues to divert material through everyday stadium activities. The NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium achieved an 85.76 percent diversion rate, while Spring Commencement and the Spring Showcase averaged 94.82 percent diversion, demonstrating the program’s flexibility across a wide range of large-scale events.
Through teamwork, innovation, and fan participation, Ohio State Athletics continues to set the standard for sustainable operations at one of college football’s biggest stages.
