Campus Race to Zero Waste - Environment at �鶹��

Environment at �鶹�� › Recycling and Waste Management › Campus Race to Zero Waste

The Campus Race to Zero Waste (CR2ZW) is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for colleges and universities to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over an 8-week period, �鶹�� tracks the weights of how much we throw out, how much food we donate, and how much we recycle. With the goal of increasing our diversion and recycling rates throughout the competition!

While the competition is just 8 weeks each February and March, you can participate all year by consuming less, reusing more, and choosing to recycle or compost when you can.

2026 Results

Together the �鶹�� campus recycled 54.3 tons and donated or composted 100.8 tons of food. Vist the for a list of all participating campuses.

PAST EVENTS

During the 8 week competition there are activities, events, and promotions to encourage the campus community to reduce their waste.

Past events included:

Choose to Reuse: No Sew Bag Workshop
Fix-it Fair - Mending Workshop
Paper Making
Scrap-a-Thon
Trade Up Tuesdays
Trash Sort Challenge
Upcycled Valentine Make and Take

Check back in January 2027 or follow the Instagram page for updates and event details for the 2027 competition.

RANKINGS AND COMPETITIONS

CR2ZW offers different levels of reporting for participation in the 8-week competition. �鶹�� will compete in national competitions in the following categories:

Diversion Category - 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.
Stephen K Gaski Per Capita Classic - the school that collects the largest combined amount of paper, cardboard, and bottles and cans on a per person basis.
Reduce Food Loss by Rescuing Food (new in 2026)
Diverting Food Waste from Landfills/Incineration (new in 2026)

There are also special, one-time reporting categories. �鶹�� often competes in the national Case Study Competition, where schools share their best practices in promoting and improving recycling and waste reduction on campus.

Visit for more information about the national competition.

PAST RESULTS

2025 Results: recycled 56.6 tons and donated or composted 32.7 tons of food
2024 Results: recycled 51.8 tons and donated or composted 43.0 tons of food
2023 Results: recycled 46.0 tons and donated or composted 19.9 tons of food
2022 Results: recycled 36.9 tons and donated or composted 46.1 tons of food

In 2022, Carnegie Mellon was a winner in the Waste Minimization category of the !