The University of Colorado at Boulder will compete against nearly 50 colleges and universities across the country this semester to see which campus is the top recycler.
Sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, the "RecycleMania" contest begins Jan. 30 and runs through April 10. The winning school will receive a trophy and national bragging rights among the growing number of schools with successful recycling programs, according to Jack DeBell, director of CU Recycling.
"The University of Colorado has a strong reputation for having one of the top recycling programs in the nation," said DeBell. "In 1995, the National Recycling Coalition honored CU-Boulder with its first Outstanding University Recycling Program award. Recently, however, colleges and universities across the country have boosted their efforts. This contest will show how good CU really is."
In 2004, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, won the contest by collecting 58 pounds of recyclables per student during the 10-week competition. This year universities will be judged by pounds of recyclables collected per student, or by the on-campus recycling rate, which is how CU-Boulder will be measured. CU-Boulder currently recycles about 30 percent of its campus waste, but that rate will need to increase to win the competition.
"If we step up our efforts by recycling half of the recyclables currently thrown away, CU will remain one of the top campus recyclers in the country," DeBell said. "This contest is not a spectator sport. Person by person and pound by pound, universities like CU are making a difference."
Other schools competing include Colorado State University, Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Oregon.
Established in 1976, CU Recycling advises other schools and institutions in Colorado and around the country, and operates a comprehensive program to divert materials from landfills. In 2000, the White House Task Force on Recycling selected CU Recycling as the nation's model campus recycling program. The program also has received awards for its recycling efforts from the EPA and the National Recycling Coalition.
CU-Boulder students should see posters stating "Buffs Recycle! Help CU Win RecycleMania!" appearing around campus soon, according to Corey Reynolds, communications coordinator of the CU Environmental Center, who is working on the project.
CU Recycling will post recycling results and links to national rankings during the contest on its campus Web site at .
For more information contact CU Recycling at (303) 492-8308 or visit the "RecycleMania" Web site at .