Perhaps your idea of a football fan is a gun-toting, beer-guzzling, nacho-eating republican slob, and while that may be true some of the time, CU Boulder is doing its best to change that stereotype. Now football fans attending Colorado Buffaloes games will find compost and recyclables containers rather than trash barrels, as the school tackles a new zero-waste initiative.

The Environment News Service reports:

The Colorado Buffaloes are the first major collegiate or professional sports program in the nation to tackle a zero-waste challenge, according to CU Athletic Director Mike Bohn.

During the games, volunteers are stationed at all of the recycling stations to help people sort out the new zero-waste policy.

Most foods and drinks sold at concessions are packaged in recyclable or compostable containers through a contract with Boulder-based Eco-Products Inc. They make sugarcane plates and corn cutlery that biodegrade.

All the cups, trays and leftover food is either recycled or composted through Ralphie's Green Stampede, the CU Athletic Department's initiative to green up their act.

Biodegradable bags are used to collect leftover food for compost, which is then turned into soil for the university’s landscaping projects.

This diverts nearly 10 tons of waste created at every game that would be headed to the landfill in nearby Broomfield.

The initiative won’t keep the football crowd any less beer-guzzling or nacho-eating, but it will leave the environment free of 10 tons of waste per game. Now that’s what I call defense.