2011 marked Stanford’s fifth consecutive year of participation in RecycleMania, a friendly national competition and benchmarking tool for higher education recycling programs that promote waste reduction activities on campus. Administered jointly by Peninsula Sanitary Services, Inc. (PSSI), Buildings & Grounds Maintenance, and the Department of Sustainability and Energy Management, Stanford reported recycling and trash tonnage over an 8-week period from February 6th to April 4th, 2011. RecycleMania tracked and published weekly rankings of all participating colleges and universities across eight categories.
Stanford’s RecycleMania Performance 2007 – 2011
Stanford’s RecycleMania results have been consistently strong, and 2011 proved no different. The table below provides a snapshot of Stanford’s performance in four of the most fiercely competitive categories.
In addition to the national standings shown above, Stanford achieved the following in the 2011 competition—congratulations and thank you to all participants:
- Scored a personal best in seven of eight categories
- Reduced per capita food waste, suggesting a positive impact from ongoing food prep efficiency programs
- Placed first among Ivy Plus schools in six of eight categories
- Reduced landfilled tonnage to 115.04 lbs/person from a high of more than 160 lbs/person in the 2007 competition
- Earned Top 20 national rankings in all targeted material recycling categories
Your Participation
Stanford’s success in RecycleMania depends on conscientious individual action. You can make a difference every day by doing the following:
- Recycle all plastic, metal, and glass containers. Stanford recycles all plastic except #6 (Styrofoam).
- Recycle all paper and paper packaging
- Recycle all cardboard boxes
- Plastic bags, air pillows, and bubble wrap can be recycled if put into the paper recycling bins
- Where composting is available, remember to compost all coffee grounds, food scraps, and BPI-certified compostable service ware
- Where possible, use a reusable version of disposable or recyclable items. Plates, cups, and utensils are good examples of items where reusable substitutes can contribute to waste reduction on campus.
Recognition
As a new feature of the 2011 RecycleMania competition, Sustainable Stanford will recognize individual participation. During the competition there will be a raffle each week to recognize a Stanford community member who did not put any recyclable items into the trash! Weekly prize winners will be announced on this website along with Stanford’s weekly RecycleMania standings.
To enter the raffle, submit the online pledge form to report that you did not throw any recyclables into the trash. You can enter once each week; drawings will be held each Monday during the 8-week competition.
Each year the national RecycleMania competition recognizes winning schools at a public awards ceremony held during an industry event. Stanford can also earn bragging rights over other schools it beats in the competition!
Education and Training
Sustainable Stanford hosted an open invitation webinar on Wednesday, February 2nd. The 20-minute presentation provided more information about the 2011 RecycleMania competition and explained exciting changes to Stanford’s recycling program. The session also featured Q&A with Julie Muir from PSSI ([email protected]). A recording of the short webinar is publicly available and suitable for distribution to the entire Stanford community.
30 Years of Recycling at Stanford
Stanford has been recycling for over 30 years. The program started as a student-led class project in 1976. The expandable topics below provide more information on Stanford’s recycling program.
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