National Collegiate Recycling Competition Returns to the UW Seattle Campus
For the fifth year, the University of Washington is competing in RecycleMania — a friendly tournament where national college campuses compete during the course of eight weeks to see which can reduce, reuse and recycle the most on-campus waste. The UW will take on nationwide universities including Pac-12 rivals Arizona State University, Stanford, University of California Berkeley, University of Oregon and Washington State University.
Under the guidance of EcoReps and UW Recycling, a student committee is leading the charge for event outreach. Interactive events include a water bottle toss, farmers market, and an appearance at the UW women's gymnastics meet on February 19. There will also be chances to win prizes through a social media "Mug Shots" contest and recycling scavenger hunt.
This week, EcoReps will be tabling in front of the HUB on Wednesday, February 15, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and on Friday, February 17, from 2-4 p.m. Find the table to participate in a waste sort game and earn prizes while learning more about RecycleMania.
Schools from across the country compete in 12 categories to see which can recycle the most paper, cardboard, cans and bottles, and compost the most food waste on a per capita basis; which can produce the least amount of waste; and which recycles the largest percentage of their overall waste stream. Updated rankings published online each Friday allow schools to track their progress and rally to improve their standings against rival colleges. The competition runs through April, with final results to be announced in mid-April.
To learn more about RecycleMania at UW and the scheduled events, follow EcoReps and UW Recycling on Facebook.
About RecycleMania
RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over an 8-week period each spring, colleges across the United States and Canada report the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are in turn ranked in various categories based on who recycles the most on a per capita basis, as well as which schools have the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste and which schools generate the least amount of combined trash and recycling. To learn more about RecycleMania, visit www.recyclemaniacs.org
About UW Recycling
UW Recycling oversees the University of Washington’s comprehensive Recycling & Solid Waste Management Plan. This plan includes waste reduction, waste collection and disposal, administrative oversight and outreach efforts designed to educate the campus community regarding recycling opportunities and services. Recycling at the University is designed to be visible and convenient and to maximize the recovery of waste. For more information, visit: uwrecycling.com.
About UW EcoReps
EcoReps is a student-run organization that works with our peers, faculty, and staff to make the University of Washington a more sustainable place by implementing green ideas. The University of Washington as an institution is a leader in sustainability, but that does not fully imply that its constituents are. It is our goal as EcoReps to foster a culture of sustainability at UW with focuses in alternative transportation, waste diversion, energy reduction, and water management. To learn more about EcoReps, visit: sustainability.uw.edu/ecoreps