USC will conduct its annual Zero Waste Game on Saturday night when the Trojans football team faces Arizona State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, competing with the other Pac-12 Conference universities to divert waste from landfills to recycling or composting.
The game is part of the Pac-12’s Zero Waste Challenge, a competition at a selected football and men’s basketball game. The diversion counts toward 50% of determining the winner. Developing partnerships counts for 25%.
The remaining 25% is based on “innovation credit,” how the university identifies the impacts of the competition through engagement with the campus, tailgates, organizations, sponsors, fans, contributions and community.
USC won the Pac-12 zero waste competition in football in 2017, 2018 and 2021 and in men’s basketball for the 2021-22 season.
“Zero waste” is defined as when 90% or more of waste materials are diverted from landfills through recycling or composting. It is not defined as 100% because some fans bring their own noncompostable products, according to the stadium’s website.
During the 2021 season, the Coliseum’s zero waste program diverted 64.25 tons from USC’s seven home football games.
USC Athletics is part of the United Nations Sports For Climate Action initiative, joining hundreds of professional teams and organizations in an attempt to help combat climate change and champion sustainability.
