Recyclemania begins January 23

For the fourth year in a row, Grand Valley is competing in Recyclemania, a competition among colleges and universities across the United States. Beginning Sunday, January 23, and ending April 5, Grand Valley will compete in different contests over a 10-week period to collect the largest amount of recyclables and the least amount of trash.

The main goal of Recyclemania is to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization. All participating schools are required to report measurements on a weekly basis.

Facilities Services shows that in 2009-10, Grand Valley recycled more than 1,357 tons of material including paper, cardboard, books, glass and plastic, and 36.7 percent of the university’s waste was recycled. Last year, Grand Valley placed 36th out of 512 universities and colleges competing in overall waste minimization.

The campus community is reminded to stop and ask, “Can it be recycled?” before throwing anything in the wastebasket, and that all dining facilities have separate containers for compostable materials.

Facilities Services is leading the contest, with support from Campus Dining, Office of Housing and Residence Life, Sustainability Initiative, and Pew Campus Operations.

For more information about Recyclemania, visit www.recyclemania.org. For more information about Recyclemania at Grand Valley, visit www.gvsu.edu/facilitiesservices.