When foes Michigan and Ohio State face off on the field, the rivalry now includes a quieter contest: who handles game-day trash better.
Armies of student and community volunteers at both campuses comb stadiums after games, sorting waste into recycling streams and compost — turning food scraps and compostable plates, cups and utensils into soil. At Michigan, game-day compost goes back into the campus farm to help grow produce used in stadium concessions.
Ohio State’s sustainability program has seen particular success. Associate director for sustainability Mary Leciejewski says OSU won two national diversion awards last season, diverting about 94% of game-day waste away from landfills. Michigan’s athletic facilities director Paul Dunlop points to the program’s visibility: if you can manage waste for more than 100,000 fans, he says, “you can do it at your house.”
Students are central to the effort. At Ohio State, ecology student Meredith Butt helps lead sorting teams and educates fans on what belongs in recycling and compost bins. At Michigan, graduate student Mia Terek, who studies sustainability, emphasizes waste as a tangible part of climate action — harder to ignore than invisible emissions. Volunteers say the work is rewarding; being “champions” off the field matters as much as on it.
The rivalry has become one of friendly environmental competition: campuses nationwide compare diversion rates each season, celebrating wins in the stadium and in landfill avoidance. As one volunteer put it, with this kind of trash talk, everyone wins.
David Schechter reports.
