For more than 3,000 students living on campus, recycling has become more than just a chore; it has become an activity involving free soda, people dressed as dancing trees and the possibility of winning Recycle Mania — a 10-week event that began Feb. 3.
Recycle Mania started as a friendly recycling competition between Ohio University and Miami University, with the winner determined by whichever school recycled more pounds per on-campus student.
Ed Newman, Ohio University’s recycle and refuse manager, said he created the recycling project with hopes of raising awareness and increasing participation in recycling programs on college campuses.
“The fact that we’re getting through another season of (Recycle Mania) is a success in and of itself,” he said.
The participants in the University of Oregon’s program — which ends April 13 — have brought the University just pounds away from taking first place. According to Housing Recycling Coordinator Robyn Hathcock, spring break hurt the University because of the decreased number of students that lived on campus for the week.
Gabe Kjos, vice president and spokesman for the Residence Hall Association, agreed that spring break may have hurt the University, adding that it was also trouble for the rest of the competing schools.
RHA has been working closely with the recycling program at the University to make Recycle Mania successful. Just before winter finals, RHA hosted a recycling awareness activity called “Get Your Pop On,” with 500 bottles of free soda, water and juice.
“We were trying to get residents (living on campus) to know what recycling is all about,” Kjos said.
The number of schools participating in Recycle Mania has grown from two to eight since the program began in February 2001. The University will be competing against Ohio University, Western Michigan University, Harvard University, Ohio State University, Washington University, Miami University and Bowling Green State University, the current holders of the Recycle Mania trophy.
Hathcock said she hoped increase recycling awareness among students living on campus, but that was only one of three goals Recycle Mania had set forth. She said the other two goals were to strengthen the collaboration between University Housing and the recycling program and to give students living on campus a chance to express school spirit.
The University of Oregon is currently in second place, but Kjos said he has faith the college can pull forward to win the contest.
“Even though we aren’t in first place, I think the University and RHA have taken huge strides,” he said. “I think that in the end, we’ll come out on top.”