Colorado State University Kicks Off RecycleMania 2011 — Looks to Repeat Top National Ranking

RecycleMania, a recycling contest between colleges and universities around the country, kicked off at Colorado State University earlier this month and runs through April 2.

“RecycleMania is a great opportunity for CSU to demonstrate the strength of our recycling and waste reduction program on campus,” said Tonie Miyamoto, director of communication for CSU Housing and Dining Services. “We have finished in the top 5 percent nationally every year, and we are excited to see how well we will do this year.”

CSU has participated in the national competition since 2005. In the first year, the university competed against 17 schools. This year, more than 600 schools have registered.

“Last year, we recycled 53 percent and landfilled 46.9 percent of the waste on campus,” said Sheela Backen, Facilities Management program manager.

Throughout RecycleMania, schools compete to see which institution can collect the most recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or the highest overall recycling rate. In addition to the national competition, CSU hosts an internal competition between residence halls and university apartments.

The Live Green Team installed new stickers on all outdoor campus recycling bins in November to help increase recycling rates and make recycling easier for the campus community.

A campus trash audit is scheduled for March 2. Trash from around campus will be sorted on University Avenue to help educate the community about which items are recyclable. Last year’s trash audit revealed that 37 percent of what was thrown away could have been recycled.

The main goal of the competition is to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization. All participating schools are required to report measurements in pounds on a weekly basis.

Colorado State offers single-stream recycling on campus, which allows all recyclable items – from paper to cardboard to aluminum – to be placed in the same recycling bins, eliminating the need for sorting.

The Live Green Team consists of students and staff who are committed to making a difference and taking environmental action. For more information, visit www.housing.colostate.edu.

For more information about recycling at CSU, visit www.facilities.colostate.edu.

To learn more about RecycleMania, visit www.recyclemania.org.
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