As football season kicks off, Ole Miss fans are not the only things packing The Grove. Blue and red trash cans are a familiar sight on game days, an effort to contain the hundreds of pounds of trash generated by tailgaters.  

Where others see trash, some see an opportunity to raise money and help others. 

RebelTHON, a service organization at the University of Mississippi, is ramping up its mission to support Children’s of Mississippi in Jackson, the only children’s hospital in the state. The organization normally fundraises by hosting a yearly dance marathon, but this year, RebelTHON has found an additional way to raise money for the hospital.  

Byron Swetman, a junior computer science major and director of outreach for RebelTHON, outlined the new plan.  

“I was searching for service projects that RebelTHON could do for more support. I learned that the Office of Sustainability and the Environment at the University of Iowa had a for-profit recycling program,” Swetman said. “They recycled cans and bottles for monetary means. So I thought that I had something to work with.”  

Swetman reached out to Kendall McDonald, a UM alumnus and former public policy leadership major who currently works for the Office of Sustainability at the University of Mississippi. After some research, Kendall found that the state of Mississippi cannot publicly recycle cans and bottles for profitable means. 

However, the two came up with an alternative in another popular item: Solo cups. Utilizing a program called TerraCycle, a private U.S.-based recycling business that pays people to send in hard-to-recycle items, the university could make a profit recycling garbage produced from game days.  

RebelTHON Vice President of Membership Anna Ruth Doddridge shared her excitement for the new initiative.  

“Since we are a philanthropic organization, I was very excited to partner with another program that focuses on serving the community,” Doddridge said. “We are so excited with the results so far and even more excited to see what the future holds” 

RebelTHON has now implemented Solo cup recycling throughout the university at football games in partnership with the Green Grove Gameday Recycling Program.  

The Green Grove Program Co-Coordinator David Smith shared details of how volunteers spend their mornings during game days.  

“Essentially, we do a lot of community outreach days before the games, and we seek volunteers to tell the game day attendees what we can recycle,” Smith said. “We have our volunteers go to every single tent. Each Solo cup is more money to the only children’s hospital in Mississippi.”  

After The Green Grove Program collects the recyclable items, they are sent to the Oxford Recycling Center. Then, The Green Grove Program volunteers and RebelTHON students sort out the Solo cups from the other recycled items and wash them. After the cups are hand–cleaned, they are shipped to TerraCycle.  

Once TerraCycle receives the Solo cups, they send a check to the University of Mississippi. The check is then directly deposited in the foundation account at the university, which all student organizations utilize for funding purposes. RebelTHON uses the money collected to fund rooms for children in Children’s of Mississippi. The organization has funded the entirety of two rooms in the hospital.  

Ashley Myers, president of RebelTHON, noted the impact that the organization has had on the hospital.  

“Overall, in our 12 years, RebelTHON has donated over $1.4 million to Children’s of Mississippi,” Myers said. “We have funded numerous improvements for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with the newest addition of the Sanderson Tower and the neonatal-specific equipment. We have also funded a family room in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.”  

The added funds from each recycled solo cup will help RebelTHON complete their goal for this year.  

“This year, our project is to fund a school center in the cancer center of the hospital, so long-term patients can still learn and work on their education while being treated,” Myers said. 

Whether it has been the annual dance marathon or other fundraisers, RebelTHON continues to make a lasting impact on the lives at the hospital.  

“Our motto is ‘Kids can’t wait,’ and there is a really deep meaning behind that,” Swetman said. “Pediatric healthcare needs are going to continue to rise. RebelTHON knows that minimizing the time for pediatric access is critical for these kids.”