RecycleMania is a recycling competition that began in Ohio in 2001 and has spread throughout the majority of North America. Colleges in all 50 states and even some in Canada participate each year. Currently, 461 colleges and universities are participating in the 2014 RecycleMania Tournament.
This program was designed to create a competition between colleges to inspire and increase participation in campus recycling programs. Many schools have used Recyclemania as a kick-off to start a recycling program on campus.
UO first joined the mania in 2003 when the recycling was only collected in campus housing and dining services. In 2010 the stakes were raised when OSU and UO established a Civil War out of the competition. Both schools compete against each other to find out which campus can recycle and compost the highest
cumulative pounds per person in 10 weeks.
“OSU’s coordinator and I decided to put more emphasis on the Civil War aspect of RecycleMania, since neither school was in the upper rankings.” Robyn Hathcock, UO Housing Zero Waste Program coordinator and director of Recyclemania, said.
“It’s a good ploy to get students excited and involved,” sophomore Samantha Martin said. “It’s competitive in a positive way.”
This age-old rivalry has increased the competitiveness on both campuses. “The UO and OSU are really well matched so it definitely makes the contest interesting each year.” Hathcock said.
To commemorate the victory, a trophy was constructed out of completely recycled materials. OSU won the RecycleMania Civil War in the 2010, 2011 and 2012. The UO won it in 2013.
The cumulative greenhouse gas reductions for UO are 245 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. To contextualize, it would be the same effect as 48 cars off the road and equals the energy consumption of 21 households.
OSU is close behind with the total equivalent of 46 cars off the road. All results from the current and past competitions can be found on Recyclemania’s website.
“I recycle and compost regularly but with OSU as our rival it gives me more of a reason to,” freshman Sarah Lindley said.
RecycleMania also functions as a benchmark tool for university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities on their campuses. The competition is supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise program.
WasteWise helps organizations and businesses apply sustainable material management practices to reduce waste. Launched in 1994, WasteWise has addressed tomorrow’s environmental needs. All U.S. businesses, local governments and non-profit organizations can join WasteWise. WasteWise participants range from small organizations to large multinational corporations.
This is a great opportunity to boost our campuses recycling effort and be a part of an educational campaign, as well as prove to OSU that Eugene knows how to clean up its trash.
The Recyclemania Civil War invigorates greater university sustainabillity
Daily Emerald
March 3, 2014
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