Unofficially, thousands of fans had scored goals of their own all night, sending items that might have gone in the trash into bins for compost or recycling.

It happened through Michigan Tech’s inaugural Zero Waste Day activity at Saturday’s game against Lake Superior State University.

Tech volunteers have already helped out with similar activities during road games at Northern Michigan University.

The games are intended to demonstrate ways people can minimize environmental impact even at large events.

MTU Sustainability Crew member Ellie Rizk directs junior statistics major Claire Melancon toward the compost bin during the Zero Waste Hockey event Saturday. (Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette)

“This year, we wanted to have our own, so we can promote awareness of the zero-waste ideals at Michigan Tech and Houghton,” said Arika Booms, student sustainability coordinator at Michigan Tech.

Volunteers were stationed at sites throughout the stadium concourse with compost and recycling bins to help ensure people placed items in the right stream. About 20 people volunteered for the Zero Waste shift, which gave them free entry to the game.

The fountain drinks sold at the concession stand came in bioplastic cups, which can be composted and broken down. So can most of the food products, baskets and napkins. Recycling bins were also set up for pop bottles and aluminum cans.

“It’s trying to have it be the smallest bin, because most things at this game are going to either be compostable or recyclable,” Booms said.

Shortly before Baker’s goal, Tech statistics junior Claire Melancon helped out by dropping a food container in the compost bin. She was happy to contribute.

“It’s awesome,” she said. “It’s great for sustainability and everything, the earth.”

After the game, the volunteers planned to weigh everything to see how much recyclable and compostable material got collected and diverted from a landfill.

They are partnering with Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority center Recycle 906, as well as Partridge Creek Compost, an oganics recycling non-profit in Ishpeming.

The event was a partnership between MTU Athletics, Husky Eats and the Office and Sustainability and Resilience.

Booms hopes the event can break people’s habits of reflexively throwing things in the trash, and introduce them to alternatives by showing them how many items at games can be composted.

“Recycling one aluminum can uses like 5 percent of the energy it would take to find the materials for a new aluminum can,” she said.

“…Every effort you make to do things that are better for the earth, like recycling and composting, is just going to benefit future generations.”