New Game For College Football

Colleges and universities with football teams are facing a new kind of challenge this season. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring its first national competition to see which school can throw out the least trash at a football game. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports.

College football games typically attract big audiences. And they can generate a large amount of trash in a short period of time. That’s why the E.P.A. has chosen college football as a venue for a nation wide competition to see which school can generate the least waste per person. Ron Vance of the EPA says competing schools could recycle bottles and cans at tailgating parties. And compost food waste. He also suggests schools take a close look at what’s being sold.

“If, for instance, you go and you get a hot dog and it has the little paper boat tray with the hot dog in it. And then its wrapped in aluminum foil and then you get a handful of napkins with it there’s a couple of opportunities to reduce that. It doesn’t need to be in the paper tray at the same time as being wrapped in foil. Can you get rid of one of those?”

Schools will compete to reduce waste at one home football game in October. The EPA hopes to expand the competition to all college athletics in the future.

For WNPR, I’m Nancy Cohen.