Source: Joe Myers, 785-532-1794, okia@k-state.edu
Website:http://www.k-state.edu/recycling/
News release prepared by: Stephanie Murray, 785-532-2535, media@k-state.edu
Monday, Jan. 30, 2012
Going green: University gears up for annual recycling competition
MANHATTAN -- It may still be winter but things are about to get greener on the Kansas State University campus. RecycleMania starts Sunday, Feb. 5, and the university is ready to participate.
RecycleMania is an annual recycling competition among colleges and universities to see which institutions can reduce waste and increase recycling the most on their campuses.
This year's eight-week event will run through March 31 and includes several different categories. The title of grand champion will go to the school that has the highest percentage of overall waste recycled. There is also a waste minimization category, where first prize will be awarded to the school with the lowest per capita amount of waste recyclables and trash, and the per capita classic tracks the total pounds of recyclables collected per person at each school.
Additional recycling bins have been placed throughout campus as part of RecycleMania so that everyone can do their part to increase the university's recycling rate.
As part of RecycleMania kick-off events, a dedication and open house for the new campus recycling center will be from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10. Kirk Schulz, university president, will be in attendance from 1-1:45 p.m. The center is between Weber Hall and Hoeflin Stone House.
Throughout the open house, recycling center staff will give tours of the facility that will include recycling demonstrations and displays of the facility's equipment. A presentation featuring the history and growth of the university's recycling program will be shown continuously during the open house, and refreshments will be provided.
In last year's RecycleMania competition, 91 million pounds of recyclables and organic material were collected, which prevented the release of nearly 127,553 metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Kansas State University placed fifth in the Big 12 with a recycling rate of 19 percent. The national winner was California State University, which finished the competition with a recycling rate of 80 percent.
RecycleMania began in 2001 as a friendly competition between Ohio University and Miami University, and has since expanded to include 630 schools in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
More information on RecycleMania at Kansas State University is available at http://www.k-state.edu/recycling/.
