Campus Race to Zero Waste
Campus Race to Zero Waste, formerly known as RecycleMania, is a friendly competition, as well as a benchmarking tool, between colleges and universities across North America to promote waste reduction activities in their campus communities! The 2026 competition starts February 1st and ends March 28th.
Over an 8-week period each spring, colleges compete by reporting the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are in turn ranked in various categories based on who recycles the most on a per capita basis, as well as which schools have the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste, and which schools generate the least amount of combined trash and recycling. With each week’s updated ranking, participating schools follow their performance against other colleges and use the results to rally their campus to reduce and recycle more.
National recognition is provided to the winning school in each category on the Campus Race to Zero Waste website and in a national press release. Winning schools receive an award made out of recyclable materials, and win the right to host that category’s special traveling trophy for the coming year.
Our Goals
By participating in the 2026 Campus Race to Zero Waste competition, the Office of Campus Sustainability hopes to use this program to inspire, empower, mobilize, and educate our Falcons to reduce or eliminate waste!
As a benchmarking tool, Campus Race to Zero Waste provides BGSU with an opportunity to share information and learn from the waste reduction practices of other schools around the U.S. and Canada in order to improve our own efforts here on campus!
| Week of: | Event: | Date: | Location: | Time: |
| February 1st - 7th | - | - | - | - |
| February 8th - 14th | - | - | - | - |
| February 15th - 21st | - | - | - | - |
| February 22nd - 28th | - | - | - | - |
| March 1st - March 7th | Spring | Break | No | Events |
| March 8th - 14th | - | - | - | - |
| March 15th - 21st | - | - | - | - |
| March 22nd - 28th | Electronics Recycling Drive | 03/28 | TBD | 9 am - 1 pm |
2026 Categories
This year, BGSU will participate in four categories of the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition:
Diversion, Per Capita Recycling, Food Organics, and Electronics!
Diversion
This category is for campuses that have the ability to track and report on recyclables (cans/bottles, paper and cardboard), food organics and trash on a weekly basis.
Goal:
- Divert waste from the landfill through reduction and recycling strategies. The Diversion category awards the school with the highest waste diversion percentage. Diversion is determined by the percentage of the total weight of recyclables and food organics diverted from total waste generated.
Per Capita Recycling
This category is for campuses interested in focusing on increasing their recycling rate on campus through education and engagement strategies and that have the ability to track and report on bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard; no trash required.
Goal:
- To see which Residence Hall can collect the largest combined amount of paper, cardboard and bottles and cans on a per person basis.
Food Organics
This category is for campuses with composting (on or off-campus) to participate in this category. Including aerobic, anaerobic, and vermicomposting.
BGSU qualifies as we report weights of the food waste we compost off-campus!
Goals:
- The focus for this category is how food waste recovered is managed (i.e., donation to people, composting, etc.)
- Food waste generated in office and campus residential settings and/or special events can be included in addition to what is collected from dining facilities. Food materials that are donated to people, such as by the Feed More, Waste Less program with the Falcon Food Pantry, can also be counted in this category.
E-Waste Recycling
This category is related to a one-time event, which will be our spring electronics recycling drive at the end of the competition period. BGSU qualifies for this category because we use an R2 certified company, AIM eCycling for our electronic waste.
Goals:
- The goal for this category is to do as much public good as possible by inviting residents from Wood County and beyond to bring their electronics recycling to campus to make sure it is properly disposed of.
- Over 2.7 million tons of electronics are improperly disposed of in landfills around the U.S. every year. Our goal is to divert these items from potentially going into the Wood County landfill and recover those valuable materials through recycling with AIM eCycling.
Electronic Recycling Drive
Date: Late March (TBD) | Time: 9a.m. - 1p.m. | Location: Slater Family Ice Arena Parking Lot
Open to the community. Visit www.bgsu.edu/ewaste for full details.
Weekly Rankings
Week 1 Rankings:
1st Place: Offenhauer | 0.6 Total lbs per Resident
2nd Place: Tie between Centennial and McDonald | 0.5 Total lbs per Resident
3rd Place: Falcon Heights | 0.3 Total lbs per Resident
For where BGSU ranks overall, refer to CampusRacetoZeroWaste.org.
Weekly Rankings:
1st Place: Offenhauer | 2.0 Total lbs per Resident
2nd Place: Centennial | 1.8 Total lbs per Resident
3rd Place: Tie between Falcon Heights and McDonald | 1.7 Total lbs per Resident
For where BGSU ranks overall, refer to CampusRacetoZeroWaste.org.
Weekly Rankings:
1st Place: Offenhauer | 3.6 Total lbs per Resident
2nd Place: Centennial | 3.4 lbs per Resident
3rd Place: Tie between Falcon Heights and McDonald | 2.7 lbs per Resident
For where BGSU ranks overall, refer to CampusRacetoZeroWaste.org.
Weekly Rankings:
1st Place: Offenhauer | 4.5 Total lbs per Resident
2nd Place: Tie between Centennial and Falcon Heights | 3.8 lbs per Resident
3rd Place: McDonald | 3.5 lbs per Resident
For where BGSU ranks overall, refer to CampusRacetoZeroWaste.org.
Weekly Rankings:
1st Place: Tie between Offenhauer and Falcon Heights | 5.9 Total lbs per Resident
2nd Place: McDonald | 4.5 lbs per Resident
3rd Place: Centennial | 4.4 lbs per Resident
For where BGSU ranks overall, refer to CampusRacetoZeroWaste.org.
Weekly Rankings:
1st Place: Offenhauer | 6.4 total lbs per Resident
2nd Place: Falcon Heights | 6.3 lbs per Resident
3rd Place: McDonald | 4.9 lbs per Resident
For where BGSU ranks overall, refer to CampusRacetoZeroWaste.org.
Weekly Rankings:
1st Place: Offenhauer | 7.5 total lbs per Resident
2nd Place: Falcon Heights | 7.3 lbs per Resident
3rd Place: McDonald | 5.7 lbs per Resident
For where BGSU ranks overall, refer to CampusRacetoZeroWaste.org.
Weekly Rankings:
1st Place: Offenhauer | 9.1 total lbs per Resident (Overall Winner)
2nd Place: Falcon Heights | 8.0 lbs per Resident
3rd Place: McDonald | 6.6 lbs per Resident
Updated: 12/12/2025 11:05AM