UW Performs Well in Recycling Competition

The University of Wyoming once again placed among the leaders in the annual RecycleMania national recycling competition, earning a spot among the top 25 percent of participating schools.

UW placed 58th among 256 schools in the Grand Champion category that measures recycling percentage of total waste. The university recycled nearly 39 percent of the waste it generated.

The contest measured the amount of trash and recycled materials collected at 460 colleges and universities nationwide to determine which participants had the highest recycling rate. Participating colleges and universities collected more than 89.1 million pounds of materials during the eight-week competition, preventing the release of nearly 126,597 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) into the atmosphere. Learn more about RecycleMania and view the results at www.RecycleManiacs.org.

UW performed well in several categories:

Schools competed to collect the largest combined amount of paper, cardboard, bottles and cans per person in the per-capita contest. UW was 135th among 362 schools, with a total of 11.571 pounds recycled per person. This was good for No. 1 out of five Mountain West Conference participants; UW edged out Colorado State University by recycling two pounds more per person.

“Thanks to everyone in the UW community who helped to keep the Mountain West title in the per-capita class,” says Jim Goodman, UW Recycling manager.

In the waste minimization competition, schools competed to see who produced the least waste, including both trash and recyclables. UW produced only 29.72 pounds of waste per person, placing 45th among 155 schools participating. UW collected 7.105 pounds of paper per person for recycling, scoring 27th out of 213 schools in this category.

The total amount of recyclables collected was measured for each school, and the participating school with the largest total amount won the Gorilla Prize that recognizes schools with outstanding recycling facilities and habits. UW collected a total of 153,015 pounds of recyclables during the competition for 118th place among 365 schools.

To see UW results in each category, click here and scroll to RecycleMania 2014.