COLLEGE STATION— “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” A quote from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.
The Texas A&M athletics department cares about the Brazos Valley community and has been mindful of recycling dating back to 2004. Beginning in 2012-13, Aggie athletics has taken the caring to another level. In conjunction with Texas A&M Sports Properties, a division of Learfield, Aggie athletics has entered into a partnership with Brazos Valley Recycling (BVR).
At Kyle Field over 180 recycling bins were placed by BVR. An increased emphasis on communicating the importance of recycling through additional signage in the stadium, PA announcements both in the stadium and on the Aggie Radio Network led to increased percentages. Through the collection efforts of student groups such as One Love, EIC, and many outfits in the Corps of Cadets, and the help of BVR with collection and transport, the cleanup day following Aggie home football games saw an increase of 24 percent. An all-time high of 3.55 tons of light weight plastic bottles for the LSU game on Oct. 20 was diverted from local landfills.
Additional recycling efforts at all athletic facilities including Reed Arena and Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park will add to keeping the Brazos Valley beautiful and one of the best places in the country to live, work and receive a great education.
The athletics department and BVR will be working to increase the diversion rate in the future through converting products used in concession stands to more easily recyclable products and converting others to fully compostable products. With this effort, less waste from Aggie game days will be entering the landfill and more will be going to make new plastic products, yard mulch and compost that can be reused in our community.