UMass Amherst Climbs 10 Spots in National RecycleMania Competition

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst finished this year’s national RecycleMania contest 3rd among universities of comparable size and residential character and 32nd among all 400 participating colleges and universities, up 10 spots from last year.

The recycling rate for the UMass Amherst campus during the competition was 50.6 percent, with more than 1 million pounds of trash recycled or composted, rather than being sent to a landfill. Eliminating 1 million pounds of waste is equivalent to eliminating 597 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions or taking 117 cars off the road or saving the energy consumed by 52 households.

In addition to the national competition, Residential Life, the Office of Waste Management and the Residence Hall Association partnered to host a campus-wide competition among the 52 residence halls.

Residential students engaged in friendly competition to see which residence hall would have the highest recycling rate per capita during each of the eight weeks of the RecycleMania competition. At the end of each week (except for spring break), five students from the winning residence hall were randomly selected to receive a solar charger for their tech devices.

Working toward a zero-waste campus is one of six priorities identified by the Chancellor’s Sustainability Advisory Committee in last year’s sustainability integration planning process. The positive results achieved by the campus during the RecycleMania competition are an important part of this larger goal.

RecycleMania is an annual national competition among 400 colleges and universities aimed at improving recycling rates and reducing waste on campuses. Institutions earned points when the amount of materials being recycled increased and when the amount of trash being generated decreased.

This year, the competition ran from Feb. 4-March 31.