RU pitches in as RecycleMania heats up

As the 13th annual RecycleMania competition intensifies, RU's activities are starting to generate results.

In the Gorilla competition for cumulative recycling volume, RU has gathered more than 7,000 pounds of plastic, paper and other recyclables in the first two weeks of the eight-week competition. Ranked 179 out of 288 participating schools, RU trails Lesley University and St. John's University by less than 100 pounds and holds a 30-pound lead over Colgate University. Rutgers University is the Gorilla leader so far, having recycled more than 100 tons of plastic, paper, bottles and cans.

RU's early recycling efforts have resulted in the savings of 41 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Waste Reduction Model. RU is currently recycling 6.3 percent of its trash each week. According to the RecycleMania scoreboard, RU is recycling almost a pound per person—yet throwing away 11 pounds of trash per person.

Eastern Mennonite University is Virginia’s leader, with a recycling rate of more than 36 percent. Valencia Community College in Florida is the current Grand Champion leader, with a recycling rate of almost 80 percent. The recycling rate combines trash and each of the core recyclable materials to determine a percentage of overall waste generation that is properly recycled.

For more on RU’s recycling and sustainability activities, visit www.radford.edu/rugreen/.