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RecycleMania comes to CSUMB

Glass, Plastic, Paper, Oh My

Glass, plastic containers, paper and aluminum cans – they all have their place at CSU Monterey Bay. And it’s not in trash cans.

Campus recycling efforts got a big boost in the fall of 2009, when each room in the residence halls and all East Campus apartments were equipped with bright blue recycling bins – 3,100 in all. That’s about the time the university’s custodial contract was updated to include emptying of employees’ desk-side recycling bins.

This year, CSUMB is measuring itself against other universities when it comes to recycling. As part of a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, the university is making its first competitive appearance in the annual RecycleMania competition. (It participated last year, but in the non-competitive benchmark division.)

RecycleMania is a nationwide, friendly student-led competition that pits colleges and universities in a contest to see which can reduce, reuse and recycle the most campus waste. It offers bragging rights and special awards made out of recycled materials to the winning schools.

During last year’s 10-week competition, more than 600 campuses collectively recycled or composted over 84.5 million pounds. The 2011 installment officially runs for eight weeks between Feb. 6 and April 2. Leading up to the main event, colleges participated in two weeks of non-binding “trials” that began Jan. 24.

This year, 630 schools – representing six million students – are registered, 391 in the competitive division, 239 in the benchmark division.

Throughout the 10 weeks, CSUMB will report its recycling and trash weights and be ranked on RecycleMania’s results page. With each week’s reports and rankings, CSUMB can watch how its program stacks up against its competitors. As results fluctuate, the campus community will make a concerted effort to reduce and recycle even more. The first results should be posted on Feb. 18.

"Our goal is to spread more awareness of recycling, to build our own campus recycling program and to reduce our carbon footprint," said Associated Students Environmental Affairs Senator Duane Lindsay.

"We want to prove that we truly are a sustainable campus."

The Environmental Affairs committee has established a group called the Green Team that will handle the recycling efforts and tabulate the weekly results. The Green Team also plans to work to make campus events such as homecoming and commencement zero waste. And it intends to hold random “awareness walks” around campus, where students spotted recycling – “caught green-handed” – will be given prizes.

For more information, visit the RecycleMania website or CSUMB's webpage. To view the weekly results compiled by residence hall, check the display cases in front of the Otter Express.