California State University, San Marcos, took top honors in this year’s Recyclemania, a 10-week, nationwide competition to see which college or university collects the most recyclables. The contest is run by the Washington-based National Recycling Coalition. This was CSU’s fifth Grand Champion victory in as many years.

510 schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada took part in this year’s event. Combined, the 4.7 million participating students and 1.1 million participating faculty and staff on these campuses recycled or composted more than 69.4 million pounds of waste over ten weeks, compared to 58.6 million pounds in 2008.
Other categories recognized included:

Waste Minimization — North Lake College, Irving, Texas
Stephen K Gaski Per Capita Classic — McNeese State University, Lake Charles, La.
Gorilla Prize — Rutgers University, New Jersey
Paper — Stephens College, Columbia, Mo.
Corrugated Cardboard — McNeese State University, Lake Charles, La.
Bottles & Cans — Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Food Service Organics — Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Begun in 2001, Recyclemania takes place over a 10-week period each spring, during which schools track and report recycling and trash data. Schools are ranked weekly according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita or the highest recycling rate. The sense of competition generated by each week’s reports and rankings, helps the schools generate enthusiasm for reducing waste and recycling more.