Grand Valley a top university in national recycling contest

Grand Valley ranked first in the state and in the top 25 nationwide (for universities with more than 20,000 students) in the composting and Grand Champion categories of the nationwide recycling contest Recyclemania.  

The eight-week competition aims to reduce waste and increase student awareness about the importance of recycling. More than 390 colleges and universities representing more than 4.5 million students participated in the competition that took place from February 1-March 28.

Grand Valley took sixth place in the nation, up from 29th last year, in the composting category, and took first in the state and 24th place in the nation as a Grand Champion. The category is based on the total percentage of overall waste that is recycled during the competition. 

In total, more than 298,000 pounds were recycled during the two-month span of the competition. In one year, from June 2013-July 2014, 2,085,484 pounds of materials were recycled, which included 1,062,376 pounds of compost. 

Janet Aubil, operations supervisor for Facilities Services, said the addition of composting containers by Laker Village and in parking lot D, on the north side of the Allendale Campus, has helped make composting and recycling more convenient for students. She said the compost is transported to a local company that makes it into topsoil. 

Learn more about Grand Valley’s recycling efforts at www.gvsu.edu/facilitiesservices/allendale/gvsu-recycling-program-18.htm.

This is the seventh year Grand Valley has competed in Recyclemania. Campus Dining, Housing, Office of Sustainability Practices and Pew Campus Operations helped Facilities Services during the contest.