Recycling Madness

Chris Carlson

Kalamazoo College is the 2008 grand champion of RecycleMania, a 10-week, nationwide recycling contest administered by the National Recycling Coalition (NRC). More than 400 colleges and universities participated in this year's event, which recovered 58.6 million pounds of recyclables and organics.

“Clearly, we see results that show RecycleMania spurs environmental awareness,” says Kate Krebs, executive director of NRC. “The competition frames resource conservation in a way that resonates and inspires students to increase their recycling practices on and off campus.”

Schools must compete in both the Per Capita Classic, which measures the largest amount of recyclables per person, and the Waste Minimization contest, which tracks the lowest amount of waste per person, to be eligible for the Grand Championship. However, the title is awarded to the school with the highest diversion rate and is not dependent on its performance in the Per Capita Classic or Waste Minimization contest.

Kalamazoo College, which won the Whole Campus Division, finished the event with a nearly 59 percent diversion rate. California State University, San Marcos, took top honors for the Partial Campus Division for the fourth consecutive year with a diversion rate of 76 percent.

In the final standings for the Whole Campus Division, Kalamazoo College won the Per Capita Classic with a total of 75 recycled pounds per person. North Lake College, Irving, Texas, claimed a victory in the Waste Minimization contest with 13 pounds of waste per person.