It is easy to imagine the type of waste that is generated at a University of New Mexico football tailgate, with aluminum cans, plastic bottles and cardboard usually sent directly to the landfill. This season, a group of students from environmentally-focused student organizations across campus are banding together to make recycling easier than ever for Lobo fans by debuting a roaming recycling cart at home tailgates.
The cart began roaming on Nov. 15 at the Lobo football tailgate to collect and manage the recyclables people had on-hand during the event.
Led by senior Shaylene Sanchez, the team is attempting to reform the University’s current recycling practices by making a roaming recycling cart to collect items like cans and bottles “where people actually toss them,” and adding volunteers to “close the gap between what we need to be recycling and what we really do recycle,” Sanchez said.
By the end of the tailgate, the cart had collected 6.5 lb. of mixed paper, 4.5 lb. of plastic, 2 lb. of non-can metal, 25 lb. of metal cans and 29 lb. of glass, coming to a total of 878 pounds of recyclables; for comparison, approximately 23 lb. of trash was collected.
“The pilot went incredibly well — way beyond what we expected for a first run,” Sanchez said. “We ended up diverting about four times more recyclables than trash, which is a huge win for a tailgate environment.”
The initiative is run by students in partnership with UNM Sustainability Studies, Facilities Management and student organization UNM Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight. On launch day, when UNM hosted the Colorado State University Rams, senior Kaidence Puckett led the initiative.
Lobo fans at the tailgate expressed support for the program and excitement about its future; before the cart even had the chance to park, people were throwing their cans and bottles into it.
New Mexican musician Jerry Dean, the father of Sanchez, also walked with the cart, which Sanchez said brought more people over, started conversations about their goals and amplified the engagement they saw with the community at the tailgate.
“The goal is to show how simple, visible solutions like this can shift habits and eventually scale to other campus or community events,” Sanchez said.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to more accurately reflect the total number of pounds of recycling collected.
Penelope Loyd Sment is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo
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