UT Dallas Hoping to Bag a Win in Recyclemania

UT Dallas aims to improve on last year’s third-place finish in Recyclemania, an annual college recycling contest.

For the next 10 weeks, through April 8, UT Dallas will try to collect more bottles, cans, cardboard and paper than any other competing university to win the Earth-friendly contest. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to drop off the used materials in recycling bins located throughout campus.

Talking Trash According to the Students for Environmental Awareness (SEA) Web site: • Every ton of recycled paper saves at least a dozen trees. •Recycling a metal can saves three-fourths of the energy needed to produce a new one. •The plastic from 26 recycled plastic bottles could make an entire polyester suit.
Acceptable Recyclables
Paper Newspaper Corrugated Cardboard Telephone Books Aluminum Cans	Plastic Bottles Cereal & Cracker Boxes Junk Mail Glass Tin & Metal Cans
Not Accepted
Wet Paper Products Plastic bags Yard Waste Disposable Diapers Wood Tires Motor Oil Bottles	Batteries Plastic/Bubble Wrap Styrofoam Containers Waxed Cartons Pizza Boxes Kitchen Waste

“Each recycling bin can take aluminum cans and plastic bottles. We go through all recyclables and sort them for reclamation,” said Bron Clayton, Building Services Supervisor at UT Dallas.

Recycling bins are in nearly every building on campus, often on more than one floor.

Clayton said he wants to caution everyone against placing trash in recycling bins.

“Too often we find food items in recycling as well as sheet rock, pizza boxes and KFC paper products. And while we do recycle wood pallets and construction debris, those recyclables are not part of Recyclemania,” he said.

Recyclemania  was developed in 2001 to increase student and staff participation in recycling, heighten awareness of schools’ waste management and recycling programs and cut waste generated on campus.

This is the third year that UT Dallas has competed. In 2008, UT Dallas finished third in the state of Texas in the “Per Capita Classic” division with more than 97,116 pounds of recycling.

UT Dallas categories this year include paper, corrugated cardboard, plastic bottle and aluminum cans.

Schools will report their numbers to Recyclemania weekly using an online reporting form. Weight data are due noon the Wednesday after a full collection week (Sunday-Saturday). 

RecycleMania publishes results on its Web site on Friday afternoon of the same week (Week One results will be posted by Friday, Jan. 30).

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