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GVL/Brian B. Sevald
Freshman student Evan Glasss uses one of the many recycling containers placed on campus. "Recycling is important to me, and I am glad GVSU provides plenty of recycling bins all across campus" Glass said.

GV looks to improve on last year's 41st place finish in Recyclemania

By Anya Zentmeyer GVL Assistant News Editor
2/3/2010

Grand Valley State University quickly became renowned for going green, along with its growing sustainability efforts. As a part of this effort, as well as an attempt to remind students the importance of recycling, GVSU is currently competing in the annual Recyclemania competition.

Ohio-based Recyclemania was born in February 2001 and is a 10-week competition in which colleges compete in four different areas: Grand Champion (weekly recycling rate), Per Capita Classic (pounds of recyclables per person), Waste Minimization (pounds of waste per person) and Gorilla Prize (overall waste stream).

"RecycleMania is one of the activities to satisfy the President's Climate Commitment, along with LEED Buildings, Energy Star-rated appliances and promotion of mass transit," said Bart Bartels, project manager for the Sustainable Community Development Initiative. "Student engagement makes it possible."

Although the event started at a single college, it has now expanded to more than 300 colleges across the U.S., including GVSU.

According to the Recyclemania Web site, the universities participating in the competition boast some of the highest recycling and waste diversion rates in the country, but despite their recycling successes, on-campus facilities tend to produce most of campus waste.

In particular, residence halls and dining halls have been the largest producers of campus waste, producing 30 to 70 percent of campus trash. Data from waste audits conducted at these buildings suggests up to half of all residence hall trash is recyclable. This is where Recyclemania started.

Nationally speaking, GVSU placed 41st out of more than 300 schools in Recyclemania 2009.

Steve Leeser of Facilities Services expects to place even better from here on out.

"This year we are hoping to do even better," Leeser said. "At Kleiner Commons, one of our largest food service areas, we started composting."

GVSU sent out 84,000 pounds of waste in the first week of last year's competition, and during the first week this year, the amount of waste has dropped to 48,000 pounds, Leeser said.

"If all of these figures tend to balance out, we went from recycling 20 percent of the waste stream last year up to 30 percent this year," he said. "That sounds good."

Robert Zinger, president of the Student Environmental Coalition, said he thinks it is important for students to participate in Recyclemania.

"College is all about learning new things and setting patterns in your life," Zinger said. "Recycling is a great habit to get into and Recyclemania uses competition to allow students to have fun while doing it. Recycling is critical to saving natural resources, landfill space, energy and even money. It is also plays a huge part in keeping air and water clean. Finally, just as important as recycling is reducing. This not only saves money, it also saves the energy it takes to recycle."

Leeser noted GVSU makes it easy for students to participate effectively in Recyclemania 2010. He said easy measures students can take to contribute to the competition is to check their trash before they throw anything away. If it is something that can be recycled, Leeser instructed students to put it in one of the recycling containers in every housing unit and academic building.

"Sustainability is more than just having a group of administrators decide that's what direction the school should go," Leeser said. "It has to be something the students get involved with and establish lifelong habits. Once you leave here, if recycling and energy conservation and water conservation are important to the individual, then as a nation we are more effective."

assistantnews@lanthorn.com

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