Grand Valley participates in national recycling competition

For the 10th year in a row, Grand Valley is participating in a national competition to collect the largest amount of recyclables and the least amount of trash.

From February 5-April 1, Grand Valley will compete against hundreds of colleges and universities in Recyclemania. The 10-week competition includes categories such as Food Service Organics and Waste Minimization.  

During the 2016 competition, Grand Valley ranked first in the state and in the top 15 nationwide (for universities with more than 20,000 students) in the composting category. In total, 221,986 pounds were recycled.

Janet Aubil, operations supervisor for Facilities Services, said Grand Valley is striving to increase the amount of compost and recyclable materials this year. 

"It's important that students, faculty and staff make recycling and composting a daily, normal routine," Aubil said. "Food service areas on campus now serve food in nearly all compostable or recyclable materials. Our compost is sent to a facility that turns it into dirt for gardens and farms." 

Facilities Services is leading the contest, with support from Campus Dining, Grand Valley's Green Team, Office of Housing and Residence Life, Office of Sustainability Practices, Student Environmental Coalition 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.