The EcoBods Club at Washburn University is looking to lessen waste and teach people how to recycle at Ichabod football games. 

Monica Schrag, a Topeka local, began going to football games and looking through waste to pull out cans and recycle them properly. 

“Two years ago, I walked over to the tailgate area and I was so surprised at all the cans in the trash because I do recycle,” Schrag said. “So I got a bag and started collecting them because I was curious and that day I collected over 600 cans.”

Schrag was later accompanied by Kaylyn Hobelman, an advisor of the EcoBods club. They have both made it to multiple games over the past year in hopes of cleaning up and recycling as many cans as possible. 

“The culture, ideally, could shift to where that’s something we all care about and is not just sending stuff to the landfill every single home [game],” Hobelman said.

The EcoBods Club is working to expand this volunteer work to other community groups around Washburn alongside the Washburn Student Government Association. They are hoping to eliminate the amount of waste that is picked up at all sports games at Washburn.

“I think in November we can kind of game plan what that would look like. I know that misses football season, but we can at least refocus on the indoor games first because that is going to be a little bit easier to control,” said Dante Jordan, WSGA director of campus and community affairs.

Students are able to get involved by volunteering to help clean up at football games or joining the EcoBods Club by attending monthly meetings.

Edited by Morgan Albrecht and Jeremy Ford