In addition to Humboldt State, more than 600 schools representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada will compete in nine categories to see who recycles the most on a per capita basis, who produces the least amount of waste and who recycles the largest percentage of their overall waste stream. The competition runs through March 29.
The Facilities Management Sustainability Office will submit weight data for paper, cardboard, cans and bottles, food waste, electronic waste, and general trash each week, and will in turn be able to see how the campus measures up against other universities in the continuously updated results. The Waste Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) and Residence Life are organizing a series of RecycleMania outreach events. Students, faculty, and staff members can follow the results and get recycling tips by going to facebook.com/hsusustainability.
“A waste audit done in 2011 showed that nearly half of what we find in campus trash cans is actually recyclable or compostable,” said Sustainability & Waste Coordinator Morgan King. “RecycleMania is about more than simply winning some competition. It is an opportunity for us to raise awareness and to increase participation in our campus recycling and waste reduction programs.”
In 2013, 523 participating colleges and universities collected over 90 million pounds of recyclables and compostable organics. This prevented the release of 121,436 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) into the atmosphere.
Program management for the 2012 RecycleMania Tournament is provided by the national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful. A complete list of participants can be found at recyclemaniacs.org. For more information about HSU’s RecycleMania program, contact Morgan King at mpk9@humboldt.edu.