The results are in for the nationwide competition, RecycleMania. For the sixth year in a row the University participated in this inter-collegiate contest to see which institution can recycle the most material over eight weeks.
A big congratulations goes out to the RecycleMania 2014 winners. Antioch University Seattle placed first in the Grand Champion Category with an impressive recycling rate of 93.133%. Kalamazoo College won the Per Capita Classic and Rutgers University claimed the Gorilla Prize. More than 460 schools participated in RecycleMania this year, resulting in a significant 89.1 million pounds of recycling and composting.
The University of Rochester did exceptionally well this year, finishing in the Top 25 in multiple categories including the Per Capita Classic (15th), Paper (5th), Cardboard (10th), Bottles and Cans (6th). The full results are listed here but below is a condensed version of the University’s results.
Competition Categories
- Grand Champion Category: This category combines the trash and each of the main recyclable materials in order to determine a school’s recycling rate as a percentage of their overall waste generation. The University ranked 101st out of 256 schools with a recycling rate of 31.60%.
- Per Capita Classic: This category looks at the amount of paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans collected on a per person basis. The University ranked 15th out of 362 schools with an average of 32.35 pounds of recycling per person.
- Gorilla Prize: This category acknowledges schools that recycle the highest amounts of gross tonnage of combined targeted recycled material; paper, cardboard, bottles, and cans, irrespective of campus size. The University ranked 26th out of 365 schools with 544,378 pounds of recycling.
Targeted Recycled Materials: The four targeted areas for recycled material are Paper, Cardboard, Bottles and Cans, and Food Service Organics. This category looks at the schools that are recycling the largest amount of these targeted materials on a per person basis.
- Paper: The University ranked 5th out of 213 schools with an average of 14.91 pounds per person.
- Corrugated Cardboard: The University ranked 10th out of 218 schools with an average of 10.89 pounds per person.
- Bottles and Cans: The University ranked 6th out of 208 schools with an average of 6.54 pounds per person.
- Food Service Organics: This area tracks food waste and any organic materials used alongside of food waste. The University ranked 97th out of 187 schools with an average of 2.98 pounds per person.
In addition to these numerical rankings, the RecycleMania planning committee was also successful in promoting RecycleMania by hosting exciting events throughout the competition period, sponsored by various Student Organizations. The contest began with Go Green week, in which community members were encouraged to take the Go Green Pledge. Water Conservation week followed, with Chi Omega sponsoring a water tasting test. Week 3 was Energy Conservation week including the basketball game day challenge hosted by Facilities Team Green. Microfarm hosted an event in honor of agriculture week and Dining Team Green and Sigma Delta Tau brought local artist Scott Grove to campus for a workshop for Get Creative week. During Recycling Week GreenSpace sponsored a recycling craft workshop and Psi Upsilon put on a recycling fort competition. RecycleMania closed out with the highly anticipated Mt. Trashmore sponsored by Grassroots. Each of these organizations put on a fantastic event, which contributed to the overall success of this year’s competition. RecycleMania Planning Committee member Lauren Henry says, “It was awesome to have such diverse student groups come together for such a worthwhile cause.” This year’s successful results demonstrate the University community’s commitment to sustainability, and hopefully this dedication will continue long after the competition ends!
Written by Abigail Fagan, class of 2014