West Virginia University amping up recycling efforts for football games

With the excitement and non-stop action that occurs during a typical NCAA football game, it can be difficult for fans to put aside their passions and remember to do the right thing for the environment. West Virginia University has taken some proactive steps to help make it easier for fans and guests to the institution by installing yellow recycling bins around the stadium and improved receptacles in the parking lot for tailgaters, according to WBOY.com.

"It's about Mountaineer pride," WVU conservation specialist Traci Liebig told the news source. "Going to a game is a privilege, and we want to be good stewards of our landscape - our environment - and we want to put our best foot forward to other teams who are visiting our campus."

The main concern for the recycling program planners was correctly disposing of plastic bottles, which have become a burden for local trash collectors. The program went through its pilot stage last year, and the university managed to divert 17.5 tons of plastic and aluminum from local landfills. Additionally, WVU also participates in the EPA Gameday Challenge, which is a nationwide competition between colleges that keeps track of who is recycling the most and making the biggest impact on the environment.

Aside from installing bins around the stadium and its parking lots, the university has put many volunteers to work handing out reusable bags to those who park in the Blue Lot. This special package contains a recycling kit and trash bags for every home game of the season to ensure that waste ends up in the proper receptacles. Steps like these are helping make WVU a greener and more sustainable community, and a great place to catch a football game.