RecycleMania

Seattle University placed sixth among 170 North American schools in the waste diversion category of the 2018 RecycleMania competition. 

During the eight-week competition, colleges and universities closely track and compare their recycling and composting rates. SU’s final diversion rate (recycling plus composting) was 74.8 percent, a significant improvement over the university’s 67.5 percent rate last year when it placed 12th. 

This year’s completion featured Garbology Episode III, at which 14 student, staff and faculty volunteers hand sorted more than 1,000 pounds of the university’s compostable waste. More than 60 individuals brought their recyclables to SU’s ninth annual Community Recycling Day, about 20 percent more than last year. The university also collected about 3,000 pounds of electronics for recycling over the eight-week period, which is almost 50 percent more than last year. 

Facilities Services has recently undertaken a number of changes to improve the university’s recycling and composting efforts, including updated signage and new bins and dumpsters. SU has a goal of attaining an 80 percent waste diversion rate by 2020. 

You can read more about SU’s participation in RecycleMania here.