Sustainability icon
Sustainability is hiring multiple student assistant positions | Apply now!
Volunteers at outdoor recycling station with large yellow bins and blue banner
Sustainability student volunteers help staff members sort their waste as a part of a waste audit during Thank Goodness For Staff (TGFS) 2026. Data collected at this event emphasize the importance of improving waste diversion during large on-campus events. Photo credit: Anjie Cook

TGFS 2026 Diverts 93% of Event Waste from Landfill

Student volunteers helped divert more than 800 pounds of waste during UC Davis’s annual staff appreciation event.

  • by Judith Eppeli

Quick Summary

  • UC Davis Sustainability, Staff Assembly, and Grounds partnered to make TGFS 2026 a zero waste event. Over 20 student volunteers helped 6,000 attendees sort waste at four stations, sorting through over 800 lbs of waste and achieving 93% waste diversion.

On May 6, Sustainability, Staff Assembly, and Facilities Management Grounds and Landscape Services team partnered at the Davis campus's beloved Thank Goodness For Staff, or TGFS, event to appreciate the hard work of our campus staff community and provide some zero waste guidance for staff attendees! TGFS is an annual staff appreciation event with a multitude of opportunities for staff to connect and have fun, as well as enjoy some free lunch. This year attendance clocked in at over 6,000 staff members—now that’s a lot of thank yous! 

Volunteers in blue vests at Zero Waste station with yellow and blue bins on grass
Sustainability student volunteers smile behind compost and recycling bins at one of four waste stations during TGFS 2026. Volunteers sorted almost 1000 lbs of event generated waste. Credit: Anjie Cook

Any event with over 6,000 attendees generates a significant amount of waste, which raised an important question:  How much of this waste actually needs to end up in the landfill? To answer this question for the second year in a row, Sustainability and Staff Assembly partnered to make TGFS a zero waste event.

We established four strategically placed waste stations—each equipped with bins for recycling, compost and landfill—and enlisted over 20 dedicated student volunteers to help divert as much waste as possible from the landfill. Armed with gloves, zero waste vests, and helpful smiles, our incredible volunteers assisted staff in sorting their lunch waste and educated attendees on proper recycling and composting practices.

Thanks to their diligent work, we achieved an impressive 93% waste diversion rate. This event simply wouldn't have been possible without their commitment and enthusiasm!

2026 waste diversion bar chart: diverted 527 lbs compost, 218 lbs recycling; not diverted 59 lbs
TGFS 2026 event waste totaled over 800 lbs. Only 7% of generated waste was sent to landfill!  
  • 93% of waste diverted to compost and recycling
  • Over 800 lbs of waste sorted by hand
  • Over 20 volunteer hours from dedicated sustainability-minded UCD students
  • Only 7% of event waste—mainly chip bags from lunch!—actually belonged in the landfill!  
  • Imagine how much waste our campus could divert if we all consistently and accurately composted and recycled!
     

As evidenced by this year's TGFS event, collaboration and community effort make all the difference! Through this mult-campus partnership and the tireless work of our 20+ student volunteers, TGFS 2026 was officially a zero waste event. Now that deserves an A+ for sustainability if you ask me! Students and staff alike also came away with a clearer understanding of waste management, leading to the potential for further waste diversion within the UC Davis community and beyond.

Thank you to our volunteers, Staff Assembly, and everyone who helps campus meet our sustainability goals. See you next year!

About the Author
Young woman smiling with bangs, black sweater and necklace, ivy-covered wall (photo)

Judi Eppele is a Climate Action Engagement Fellow with UC Davis Sustainability. She is a graduate student in Community Development, focusing her research on community/citizen science and global/local sustainability via the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

“Helping facilitate this waste audit was a wonderful experience! I am so proud of the student volunteers and Sustainability staff for their hard work and positive energy throughout the event. Events like this show just how much of a difference we can make by diverting waste and becoming a more sustainable campus.”