Recylemania has begun, as UConn takes on 578 other schools in an Environmental Protection Agency-coordinated contest that tests the environmental awareness and sustainability of each participant’s student body, according to EcoHusky Vice President Catherine Pomposi.
The contest will run for three months, from Jan. 17 until March 27th. Pomposi, an 8th-semester statistics and environmental science major, said that the objective is to encourage schools to increase their per-capita recycling rates and to decrease “the amount of municipal waste per person.” These two fundamentals of sustainability are linked as reuse of discarded items can greatly minimize the quantities of garbage that are dumped into this country’s landfills.
Learning recycling guidelines and by placing materials in their proper receptacles are two simple steps students can take to improve their recycling efficiency.
Pomposi said that all plastics numbered 1-7 (the number can usually be found on the bottom of the product) are recyclable on campus; however, styrofoam and plastic packaging should not be placed in the recycling bins.
According to EcoHusky’s Web site, various types of paper are reusable. The list includes envelopes and flattened boxes, but not paper plates, cups or napkins. Many dorms also have collection systems for used ink cartridges and discarded cell phones so students should check with their RAs to see if such amenities are available.
“EcoHuskies will be ‘manning the can’ throughout the competition by standing by trash bins and making sure fellow students are recycling all appropriate materials,” Pomposi said. The club will also be conducting “Trash Can Diving” events, when students will filter the trash and remove any misplaced recyclables.
Pomposi said that the EcoHusky Web site will be featuring UConn’s weekly rankings against the other competing schools, including those in the Big East conference. According to the Recyclemania site, UConn did well in the national rankings last year for total pounds recycled per person but did not earn any top honors. The title of grand champion went to schools such as California State University, New Mexico University and Kalamazoo College.
This year, UConn is in the competition division with 372 other universities and colleges.
“I think that students will be very receptive to this competition and therefore, UConn will place better in the rankings than it did last year,” Pomposi said.
Students can make a few easy changes to their daily routines in order to facilitate the eco-friendly changes that are occurring around campus. While Recyclemania is used to get the competitive spirit flowing between schools, its main focus is to educate this generation about the importance of cutting down on waste in order to improve the future.
UConn kicks off Recyclemania competition
Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, January 19, 2010
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