RecycleMania Results!

This past winter term, Union College competed in the annual RecycleMania Tournament. The tournament is an eight-week long competition between hundreds of colleges that are competing to recycle the most waste and reduce their consumption. This years RecycleMania final results are now in! So how did Union do compared to the rest of the country and to previous years?

Union College’s rankings in each category are below!

Category	Rank
Grand Champion!	113 out of 274
Per Capita Classic	21 out of 361
Gorilla Waste	169 out of 365
Waste Minimization	159 out of 167
Paper	80 out of 164
Corrugated Cardboard	34 out of 162
Bottles and Cans	34 out of 163
Food Service Organics	29 out of 156

How does this compare to previous years? Union College was the winner of per Capita Classic and Carrogated Cardboard in 2011 and 2012! This years slight drop may mean that we were a little over confident this year. Time to step it up Union! Even though the competition is now over this doesn’t mean that we should stop trying to improve for next year! It is time to increase our recycling efforts to instill good practices on campus so that we can regain our winning title next year! 

So what can we do around campus to improve our recycling efforts? 

~Encourage your peers to properly dispose of all waste around campus! Whether it is composting properly in upper class dining or making sure that a friend puts their soda bottle in the recycling bin, we must work together!

~Check out the signs above every bin! Each paper and plastics, metals and glass bin is properly labeled with what waste should go in it? If you’re not sure, check the list, ask a friend or email us!

~Remember that cardboard can be folded up and placed next to a bin and it will be recycled!

~Also remember that you are allowed to LIFT THE LID! There are many recyclable containers that may not fit in the hole of the plastic, metals, and glass recycling lid but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t go in the bin! Always remember to LIFT THE LID if the item is labeled with a 1-7 recycling number.

Special thanks to Kyle Lanzit and Jamie McNulty!