Let the competition begin! From February 1 to March 28, TU will compete in RecycleMania, an annual recycling and waste reduction tournament held among more than 450 colleges and universities across the country.
During the eight-week tournament, schools will compete in a variety of categories, including per capita recycling, most recycling, composting and recycling rate (which calculates recycling as a percentage of overall waste). Recycling and landfill collection data will be posted for each college weekly, with the cumulative results determining the final standings.
This is the ninth year TU has participated in RecycleMania. Towson finished last year’s competition with an average recycling rate of 33.8 percent. This year, Campus Planning and Sustainability Manager Patricia Watson hopes to improve that number to 35 percent.
“With the expansion of composting in the Union and Administration Building reducing the university’s waste totals, I have high hopes that we’ll improve upon last year’s results,” Watson said. “Every recyclable counts, so we encourage the campus community to waste less and recycle more.”
Throughout the tournament, TU’s Office of Sustainability will host mini-competitions and events to help students, faculty and staff reduce waste and recycle. These events will culminate with a community-wide electronics recycling drive planned for the end of March.
For more information about RecycleMania, visit the Towson Goes Green Facebook page or TU’s Sustainability website.
