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Wolfpack fans don't recycle because someone told them to - they do it because they understand that this is what we do at NC State University.
Ryan Powell, outreach coordinator for waste reduction and recycling at NC State
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WE Recycle volunteers hit the tailgating fields in search of recyclable materials.
By Dave Pond, Web Communication
“That’s a lot of cans and bottles!”
Volunteers with NC State University’s WE Recycle program have lost track of how many times they’ve heard that exclamation as they truck mountains of recyclables out of the tailgate areas surrounding Carter-Finley Stadium.
Wolfpack fans have pitched in about 4 tons of cans and bottles at each NC State home football game this season – recyclables which would otherwise have ended up as parking-lot litter or sent to solid-waste disposal sites.
“A massive amount of material is generated at an event of this scale,” said Ryan Powell, outreach coordinator for waste reduction and recycling at NC State. “ If it wasn’t collected, it would quickly fill up costly space in landfills or find its way into the retention ponds, streams and natural areas that our community cherishes most.
“This is the lesson that WE Recycle teaches all of us every game day,” he said. “It’s up to us as a university community to choose what our collective environmental impact will be.”
WE Recycle was the brainchild of Paul Mobley (’06), a Caldwell Fellow who was troubled by the amount of cans and bottles tossed in the trash each week. Other Caldwell Fellows pitched in their support, built the program up and continue to drive the efforts to this day.
“While many students have played an essential role in sustaining WE Recycle for such a long time, it’s been the Caldwell Fellows who most closely embody the spirit of environmental leadership,” Powell said. “They’re the ones out every Saturday, whether it’s 100 degrees or 28 degrees, and there's no doubt in my mind that we wouldn't be able to continue the program without them.”
Volunteers come from almost every organization on campus, and spend several hours before each game cruising tailgating lots in search of materials to reclaim. Fans have grown to appreciate the program as well, standing at the ready with already-bagged recyclables to toss as the trucks roll by.
“In the program's early years, the purpose of our stadium tailgate recycling program was to 'invite' people to recycle at games, and our volunteers would have to rummage through trash bags to produce just one ton of recyclables at a game,” Powell said. “Now, as recycling has become embedded in the culture of our university, most of our fans have already taken the time to collect all of their recyclables when we come by.”
Originally known as the “Chuck It” recycling program, WE Recycle benefits from a wide-reaching support network of partners, including Wolfpack Sports Marketing and the university’s athletics department. However, the program’s ongoing success would not be possible without the support of Lonnie Poole (’59) and Raleigh-based Waste Industries – Carter-Finley Stadium’s contracted waste hauler.
“Mr. Poole is a powerful ally that few other universities have comparable ties to,” Powell said. “He has a genuine interest in managing game-day waste in a way that reflects positively on the university.
“While other large complexes across the nation have generally lagged behind in efforts to make large venues more environmentally friendly through their recycling efforts, Waste Industries has led the way,” he said. “Mr. Poole is one of the proudest NC State alumni I've met, and we've been fortunate to have such a great relationship with him.
In fact, the WE Recycle program has become such an important part of football Saturdays that is beginning to spin off new ventures away from the tailgate fields, as students organize recycling trips to rural collection sites and participate in community recycling programs.
“Wolfpack fans don’t recycle because someone told them to – they do it because they understand that this is what we do at NC State University,” Powell said. “Week after week - next to the incredible amounts of recyclables that we bring in - the kinship and camaraderie of Wolfpack fans remains my favorite part of helping with the program.”
