UofL increases landfill diversion rate, finishes 2nd in 2026 Campus Race To Zero Waste
Final results have been posted and it is clear that the competition was intense in the 2026 Campus Race to Zero Waste! Building on our top-place finishes in 2022, 2024, and 2025, the University of Louisville raised the bar even higher this year, increasing our overall landfill diversion rate to 66.03% (a 1.71% improvement over our 64.32% rate in 2025) throughout the eight-week competition from February 1 – March 28.
Thanks to the passionate efforts of students, faculty, and staff who took green actions throughout UofL's Ecolympics 2026, and to the diligent efforts of our Physical Plant team and off-campus partners, 
the University of Louisville grabbed the silver medal for Diversion among large universities in the 2026 Campus Race to Zero Waste! Of the 62 schools across the continent competing in the Diversion category, UofL came in third overall and achieved the second highest diversion rate amongst large campuses, finishing less that two-tenths of a percent behind Cornell University (66.20%). The only other Kentucky school in the competition, Centre College, finished with a diversion rate of 14.07%.
Once again in 2026, the UofL community rose to the challenge, joining hundreds of thousands of college students and staff across the country in a competition to reduce the campus waste footprint through minimization efforts by donating, composting, and recycling.
The University of Louisville community rallied to participate in three of the categories of competition:
- In the Diversion category, UofL improved upon our 2025 performance, increasing our overall landfill diversion rate to 66.03% (a 1.71% improvement over our 64.32% rate in 2025) and finishing #2 for large campuses and 3rd out of all 62 schools.
- In the Per Capita Classic, UofL significantly improved from 2025, finishing 23rd out of 72 schools (vs. 45th out of 94 last year) with a recycling rate of11.37 lbs/person (vs. 7.53 last year).
- In the Electronics Recycling category, UofL nearly doubled our total collected last year, recycling 6,108 lbs. of e-waste (or 0.19 lbs/person) including batteries, lamps, phones, computers, peripherals, and other devices, and yet we finished 16th out of 19 schools.
The final top 10 standings in the Diversion category were:
| Rank | Institution | Landfill Diversion % |
| 1 | Kendall College of Art & Design | 81.53 |
| 2 | Cornell University | 66.20 |
| 3 | University of Louisville | 66.03 |
| 4 | Macalester College | 61.39 |
| 5 | Seattle University | 61.27 |
| 6 | Amherst College | 57.35 |
| 7 | Valparaiso University | 55.14 |
| 8 | Stanford University | 52.77 |
| 9 | Boston University | 52.05 |
| 10 | Wilkes University | 49.02 |
While this achievement is a team effort, UofL would like to especially recognize all of the students, faculty, and staff who took action for sustainability during Ecolympics 2026, including our Grand Prize winner, Sophomore Rose Hoff! We urge everyone to keep up the great work on campus to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost. All those who wish to support UofL's sustainability and engagement efforts can donate to support the Green Fund for UofL.
