Football | September 22, 2021
LOS ANGELES — USC’s annual Zero Waste Game, part of the Pac-12’s Zero Waste Challenge, is this Saturday’s (Sept. 25) Trojan football game against Oregon State in the Coliseum.
The Trojans and the Coliseum are competing with other league schools to divert waste from landfills to recycling or composting. The competition at a selected football and men’s basketball game determines which member university diverted the most waste from landfills, as well as which used the most innovative methods to expand reach and impact of sustainability education efforts.
USC has twice won the Pac-12 zero waste competition in football (2017 and 2018).
There will be a Zero Waste Sustainability booth at Fan Fest outside the Coliseum, which will include family fun sustainability related games, Go Green information and fun giveaways, as well as the opportunity to take a photo with Traveler.
Besides sorting and depositing their tailgating waste into special color-coded recycling, composting and landfill containers outside and inside the Coliseum, fans can also take such conservation measures as purchasing tailgate food and beverages in bulk to reduce packaging waste and using reusable plates, cups, and utensils instead of single use plastics.
“Zero waste” is defined as diverting 90 percent or more of waste materials from the landfill or incinerator, through recycling, composting or other repurposing.
Since launching its Zero Waste program in 2012, the Coliseum has diverted over 1,000 tons of waste from landfill. The Coliseum hand sorts every piece of gameday waste to ensure it ends up in the proper waste stream.
USC Athletics has worked closed with USC Sustainability on various sustainability efforts.
For instance, some 1,500 solar energy modules were installed on the Galen Center roof to supply about 15% of the arena’s electricity, making it the biggest solar power project at USC. Additionally, more than 3,000 LED light bulbs were put into the arena and a “pony chiller” was added to its cooling units. Those energy conservation measures help reduce USC’s greenhouse gas emissions.
USC Athletics is part of the United Nations Sports For Climate Action initiative, joining hundreds of pro sport teams and organizations to help combat climate change and champion sustainability.