OHIO — This weekend, The Ohio State University will play the team up north.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, trash talk comes naturally for one of the greatest rivalries in sports, Ohio State vs. Michigan.
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However, that includes actual gameday trash and who cleans it up better.
Lately, that’s Ohio State, where Mary Leciejewski is an association director for sustainability.
CBS News’ David Schechter asked why she thinks OSU is doing so much better than Michigan this year.
“I mean, it just comes with the territory,” Leciejewski said.
In this competition, armies of volunteers collect and sort through mountains of trash.
They separate what’s recyclable from what’s compostable, like food scraps and cups, forks and plates made to decompose over time.
Campuses nationwide compete each season to see who can recycle and compost the most.
Last season, OSU claimed two national titles. One in football and one in trash.
The Buckeyes diverted 94% of game-day waste away from the landfill, topping the Wolverines 79%.
Michigan Associate Athletic Director for Facilities Paul Dunlop said there are over 107,000 seats in Michigan Stadium.
He added that he’s proud his football team has won the field four years in a row, but is also proud of the message the stadium’s sustainability sends to fans.
“I think if we can do it for over 100,000 people, you can do it at your house,” Dunlop said.
At both schools, students play a critical role in the sustainability work.
Meredith Butt, an OSU student, studies ecology.
On the weekend, she ensures all the trash is properly sorted and educates fans.
“So much of, um, what we throw away doesn’t need to be thrown away. It just feels really rewarding to be a part of that,” Butt said.
At Michigan’s campus farm, game day compost is turned back into the soil that helps grow some of the produce served at the stadium.
Graduate student volunteer Mia Terek studies sustainability.
“For me, waste is a very, um, tangible part of sustainability. You can, you don’t really see emissions, but you see waste, you see the litter on the floor,” Terek said.
Schechter asked Leciejewski if she feels proud of what she’s accomplished here.
“Extremely proud. Yeah absolutely. It’s, it’s nice to be champions on the field, but for us, it’s all about the diversion rate,” she said.
When it comes to this kind of trash talk, everyone wins.
Kickoff in Michigan is at noon on Saturday.
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