The University of Washington’s Seattle campus earned a spot on the list of top 20 schools in RecycleMania, a national collegiate waste diversion tournament. For the first time in the University’s three years of participation, UW finished 17th overall with a recycling rate of nearly 63%. Additionally, the University surpassed other Pac-12 schools by 20% in total waste diversion, which includes both recycling and composting.
“Because of the leadership of the RecycleMania student planning committee and the work of our campus partners in Housing & Food Services, Students Expressing Environmental Dedication (SEED) and UW Sustainability, our rise in the rankings has become something that Huskies can really take pride in,” said Jessica Lisiewski, UW Recycling program coordinator.
A total of 394 colleges and universities took part in the competition, which marked its 15th anniversary this year. Updated rankings were published online each Friday during the course of eight-week long competition, from February 2 through March 28, 2015.
"The UW has never been in the top 20 before. At UW Recycling, we are so pleased with our results. I think this speaks volumes to the University’s commitment to recycling and diverting waste from the landfill. Thanks to everyone who participated and continues to help us excel in our waste diversion efforts," said Emily Newcomer, assistant director of UW Recycling.
About RecycleMania
The RecycleMania Tournament was launched in 2001 as a friendly challenge between Ohio University and Miami University to increase recycling on their campuses. RecycleMania is an independent program of RecycleMania, Inc., a nonprofit composed of a board of directors who are professional college recycling and sustainability managers from across the country. Program management is provided by Keep America Beautiful with additional program support from the United States EPA’s WasteWise program and the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC). This year, RecycleMania partnered with National Wildlife Foundation’s Campus Ecology program, Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) and myActions. For complete competition details including a list of participating schools, visit the RecycleMania website at http://recyclemania.org.
About UW Recycling
UW Recycling provides effective daily waste and recycling collection for the UW Seattle campus. However, our role extends well beyond just picking up trash—we also serve as contract administrators, education and outreach experts, waste diversion innovators, and sustainability enthusiasts for the UW Seattle campus. Recycling at the University is designed to be visible and convenient and to maximize the recovery of waste. We strive to serve as a leader by providing innovative recycling, composting and waste reduction solutions and by promoting personal environmental responsibility and actions that minimize waste and maximize recycling. For more information, visit: www.uwrecycling.com