RecycleMania takes over Wright State

Student On the Scene, a Wright State Newsroom video series

RecycleMania, a friendly competition among college and university recycling programs across the United States, kicked off at Wright State on Feb. 12.

Over the upcoming 10 weeks, participating schools will compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita or have the highest recycling rate.

Schools report measurements on a weekly basis, and can participate in as many competitions as their program can support. Once the calendar reaches March 30 and the competition has ended, the schools that outcompeted the others will win the grand prize, the RecycleMania trophy.

Wright State has participated in the contest since 2006 and steadily improved its poundage through the years, but Wright State Custodial Service Manager and RecycleMania Coordinator Gina Reese says now’s the time to get serious about recycling.

(L-R) Linda Ramey, director of sustainability, Bill Wood, senior lecturer and coordinator of the financial services degree program and Gina Reese, manager of custodial services with physical plant, pose with “Binny” and “Recycleman” at the Recyclemania kickoff event.

“We need to kick it into high gear,” said Reese. “I know that we are improving, and I’m thrilled with that, but compared to some schools in California that are really committed and recycling at 70 percent, we can always get better.”

During last year’s RecycleMania, Wright State recycled at a rate of about 32 percent.

Recyclables are collected from main campus, off-campus locations and the residence halls every day. Although students will play an integral role in RecycleMania, greater participation from faculty and staff in Wright State offices might make the biggest difference of all.

“When you stop and think about it, everything coming out of that office can be recycled—except maybe your lunch,” said Reese.

According to Reese, there’s a considerable monetary incentive to improve recycling too. She said campus recycling efforts saved the university $14,000 in landfill fees in 2011, and the cardboard recycling specifically was sold for another $14,000 last year.

Recycling bins can be found all throughout campus. Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to seek these out before disposing of waste in the incorrect bin.

For more information about the competition, visit http://www.recyclemaniacs.org or http://www.wright.edu/administration/physicalplant/recycling/recyclemania.html.