For the fourth year in a row, the University of Iowa is participating in RecycleMania, a nationwide competition to recycle the most and waste the least.

During RecycleMania, which began Feb. 7 and continues until April 2, the UI community will be encouraged to continue recycling, but do it better. Faculty, staff and students can participate in on-campus activities to become more engaged in recycling and waste reduction efforts. Four student interns in the UI Office of Sustainability are developing programming and activities to inform and engage the campus community about the best recycling and waste reduction practices.

Activities started with a “No Excuse for Single Use”  Wednesday, Feb. 17 at the Kautz Plaza on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway, where students, faculty and staff enjoyed free coffee if they brought a reusable mug. If they didn't have a mug, interns provided a RecycleMania mug or a reusable mug reclaimed from campus lost and found. This event encouraged filling up with a reusable conatiner with a beverage rather than a single use cup, reducing waste sent to the landfill.

Other activities planned included a photo opportunity where Hawkeyes can show that they take pride in recycling and get prizes for participating. To wrap up RecycleMania in March, students and others will be encouraged to carry their trash with them, calling attention how much waste we produce in a week and take responsibility for reducing it.

The Office of Sustainability will share information on how to be a smart recycler, showing which items are accepted in the single-stream recycling program and what materials are not accepted.

To date, more than 300 colleges and universities are participating in RecycleMania, competing in several categories based on the weight of recycling, food organics and waste collected. Each week, the Office of Sustainability will send data to RecycleMania to see how it stacks up against other universities in the Big Ten and beyond. During RecycleMania 2015 the UI diverted 37 percent of its waste from the landfill. For Week One of ReycleMania, the UI's waste diversion rate was 41 percent, tracking closely to data collected in previous months.

RecycleMania is part of the UI’s effort to meet its 2020 Vision target of 60 percent waste diversion. For more information on recycling and waste deduction efforts at the UI, see https://sustainability.uiowa.edu/initiatives/recycling/.