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Question: How much have LSU tailgaters recycled this season?

Answer: Herman Johnson and 43 of his clones

Those green recycling bins popping up on LSU’s campus during game days have a purpose other than being commandeered for TV stands. (Yes, it’s noticed. Very clever of you, really, but that’s not their purpose.) Before every home game, LSU’s solid waste and recycling department sets out 1,500 green recycling bins (provided by the BR Recycling Foundation) and 3,500 yellow trashcans. They also line the gates of the stadium with 50 blue trashcans for recycling use. Sometimes the bins and trashcans are used as stands, makeshift table bases and even urinals. But they do usually collect aluminum cans and plastic bottles for recycling. So far this season, at least 7.79 tons of recyclables have been collected from football fans. That’s equivalent to 15,580 pounds, or 44 of LSU’s biggest player ever, offensive lineman Herman Johnson. As for solid waste, the department has collected 334.2 tons, which measures out to 1,904 Herman Johnsons.

It starts at 4 a.m. Sunday after every home game when 30 workers start fan out around campus and clean up, usually until 3 p.m. Occasionally a few residents show up to volunteer their services with the clean-up. To help the process, the Baton Rouge Recycling Foundation also lends six rear-loading trucks, two of which go directly to the stadium. Workers empty the bins into the trucks, making sure no contaminated recycling ends up with the rest. Usually 25% of potential recycling bins have to be lumped in with the trash because some Tiger fans fill them with leftover food, hot coals, and even various human excrements. The crew also goes through the yellow trashcans to save as many recyclables as possible. Andres Harris, manager for LSU’s solid waste and recycling department, says more manpower is needed to help sort and clean up. Anyone wanting to volunteer to help can contact him via e-mail at aharri2@lsu.edu. If you don’t want to help that much, at least be an exemplary tailgater: use the bins and use them responsibly. Thanks to Andres Harris for dishing the dirt on recycling.