A typical college football game generates tens of thousands of pound of trash but students at UNC Charlotte proposed that the new 16,000-seat Jerry Richardson Stadium have no landfill waste. Developing a process and executing a plan to achieve that goal would require a remarkable amount of campus- and community-wide commitment and cooperation. UNC Charlotte proved during the Charlotte 49ers inaugural football season, that a zero-waste facility can be achieved. Additionally, reducing the stadium’s ecological footprint to near-nothing was financially and socially beneficial.

1. Zero Waste Initiative at Jerry Richardson Stadium
Specific Adaptations

2. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Adaptations by Brand partners:
• Coca-Cola – Changed lids to a completely recyclable lid.
• Georgia Pacific – Changed to a post consumer recycled napkin.
• Bojangle’s – Changed packaging of their branded sauces from a
single serve plastic container to an easily recycled bulk container, as
well as allowed alternative packaging of the sandwiches and
chicken tenders, away from using foil.
• Papa John’s – Allowed for exemptions to the required product line
to reduce the number of products automatically given to the patrons,
allowing sauces to be requested instead of always being included.
• Below Zero – Adjusted utensils and packaging to either recyclable
or compostable.
• WNA – Provided a fully recyclable souvenir cup and lid.

3. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Adaptations by local partners:
In conjunction with Earth Farms (composting facility),
ReCommunity (recycling facility), and JaniKing (event cleanup
contractor) we were able to incorporate a bag system that
minimized handling and sorting of materials. Blue bags were used
in recycling bins, compostable green bags were used in compost
bins, and clear bags lined trash cans in rest rooms and outside of
the gates. Using different colored bags made it easier to ensure
that materials went into the proper container for hauling.

4. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Collection bags:
• Three different collection bags were utilized to identify the
items (blue-recycle, green-compost, clear-landfill) to aid the
speed of the sorting. Pictured: collected blue bags for
recycling (left); green bags (light and dark green, right) are to
be composted.

5. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Training Adaptations:
• Volunteers were branded with
“Green Zone” uniforms (logo
shirts) to identify the collection
sites more easily.

6. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Training Adaptations:
• Photo aids were added to the Green Zone collection centers to
help identify where each item should be placed.

7. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Training Training Adaptations:
• Training aids were added to show the correct way of packaging
so the products left the stands meeting the guidelines for the
policy.

8. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Packaging Adaptations:
• Removed all foil packaging and replaced with an insulated paper
deli wrap;
• Removed all excess condiment/sauce cups;
• Changed popcorn from corn lined tubs and cups to a post
consumer recycled paper product;
• Changed the straws to a fully compostable product;
• Bottle filling stations were installed and patrons were allowed to
bring one empty clear container to reduce the demand for bottled
water and sports drinks.

9. Specific adaptations made to Facilitate the Zero Waste Initiative
Receptacle Adaptation:
• Specialized receptacles were provided for the program. (The
helmet-topped cans for recycling were a hit!)

10. • Waste for the season was approximately 25 tons but only 17.4% of
that was sent to a landfill. The rest, averaging ~82% of waste
collected over six games, was sent to recycling (6.92 tons) or
diverted to compost (12.99 tons).
• Overall, 19.91 tons of stadium waste was diverted.
• All of the approximately 286 gallons of fryer oil used was diverted
into a bio-fuel program (Greenlight BioFuels) located less than 30
miles from the venue.
• Tangible business benefits:
• Paper cost directly related to the food service program was
ultimately reduced.
• Generated waste was sharply reduced and hauling fees were lower
than originally expected.
Results