RecycleMania is an 8-week long competition between colleges across the U.S & Canada that tracks the amount of each institutions’ weekly recycling and trash rates! Each school is then ranked in different categories based on how well & how much we recycle! Our ranking will update with each week’s results. In 2017, Seattle U had a diversion rate of 67.5% placing us in 12th place overall with400+ other schools competing! Our closest peer-competitor, Loyola Marymount University in LA, however, managed to beat us by about 15%. In 2018, our goal was to reach a diversion rate of 80% waste diversion and beat LMU!
SU took 6th place in the waste diversion category out of 170 schools across North America
Final diversion rate (recycling plus composting) of 74.8%
14 student, staff, and faculty volunteers showed up to hand-sort over 1000lbs of the campus’ compostable waste at Garbology Episode III
More than 60 individuals came by to bring their recyclables and contribute to the University’s diversion efforts at SU’s 9th Annual Community Recycling Day, about 20% more than last year!
The university also collected about 3,000lbs of electronics for recycling over the 8-week period, which is almost 50% more than last year.
RecyleMania 2018 competition details:
1. Attend and Volunteer!
The next 8 weeks will be full to the brim with interactive, educational & fun waste events! We are asking YOU to join us for some to all of the below activities, each will include collaborating with various wonderful people working towards a just and sustainable
Green Team Waste Training: 6:10pm, Tuesday, February 6th. (PIGT 109)
Weigh the Waste: 11:30am-1:30pm, Thursday, February 22nd. (Cherry Street Market) SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER
Garbology Episode III: Revenge of the Compost: 9am-2pm, Thursday, March 8th. (LEML Plaza, Quad in front of Lib) SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER
7th Annual Community Recycling Day: 7am-1pm, Wednesday, March 21st. (Bellarmine Turnaround) SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER - list of accepted items HERE.
For more details about these events email Eric Elliott, SU's Recycling Coordinator, at elliotte@seattleu.edu
2. Make small lifestyle changes!
Small lifestyle changes not only reduce the waste you produce, but also encourage others to do the same! Here are some tangible ways to make a difference:
Only take the food serving you can finish and help SU reduce its food waste
Use a reusable water bottle and reduce plastic waste on campus
Use a reusable mug and reduce waste on campus
Bring your own mug to any campus cafe and get a 20-cent discount on hot drinks and soda
Use reusable dishware instead of to go boxes and reduce waste on campus
Educate yourself on what materials are recyclable and compostable - see some resources below!
It is estimated that roughly 75% of the waste stream in the United States is recyclable, but only about 30% is actually recycled (EPA, 2018).
What is Recycling?
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. Recycling can benefit your community, the economy and the environment. -EPA, December 2017
Why is it so important?
Even though Recycling is commonly advertised as a positive practice, there are far more reasons for this than those that may seem obvious.
Recycling...
Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators
Conserves natural resources such as timber, water and minerals
Increases economic security by tapping a domestic source of materials
Prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials
Saves energy
Supports American manufacturing and conserves valuable resources
Helps create jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries in the United States
Find out which different types of waste goes in which bin!
Quickly learning correct waste disposal habits can change the way you and people around you dispose of waste for the rest of your life! Skim through some of these resources to get informed!
