ANN ARBOR—The battle is on between the University of Michigan, other Big Ten schools, and colleges and universities nationally as RecycleMania 2011 kicks off in a challenge for campus recycling supremacy.

The 10-week program runs through April 2, in which participating campuses compete to see which school can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, produce the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest overall recycling rate over the course of the competition. This will be the sixth year U-M has participated in RecycleMania. More than 500 schools throughout the United States have registered to participate, including six others from the Big Ten Conference.

“Our theme for this program is ‘Choose to Reduce, There’s No Excuse,'” said Alison Richardson, recycling coordinator with U-M Waste Management Services. “The program is a fun way for the campus to learn more about the benefits of recycling, and for buildings to challenge their occupants to really focus on what they are consuming and to make changes that help the environment and the university.”

U-M will be participating in several RecycleMania categories, including the Per Capita Classic (pounds of recycling per capita); Waste Minimization (pounds of total waste per capita); the Gorilla Prize (total recycling weight), and Grand Champion (recycling rate.) Last year, U-M students, faculty, and staff delivered a 29.95 percent recycling rate during RecycleMania, placing the university 90th out of 267 schools in the Grand Champion Competition.

Also part of the program is the Recycling Building Champions program, which is an intra-campus waste reduction and recycling competition between participating buildings on the Ann Arbor campus. Buildings’ recycling and trash will be tracked each week, with awards given for overall recycling rate, most improved recycling rate compared to last year’s 10-week period, and overall waste reduction also measured versus last year’s performance. Winning facilities last year were the Alumni Center (recycling rate of 56 percent), Palmer Commons (most improved recycling rate of 197.2 percent), and the Chemistry Building for its 55.8 percent waste reduction amount.

U-M Sustainability fosters a more sustainable world through collaborations across campus and beyond aimed at educating students, generating new knowledge, and minimizing our environmental footprint. Learn more at sustainability.umich.edu.

Related Links:

• RecycleMania program
• Recycling Building Champions program including how to register your building