Boston College has a chance to beat its ACC rivals this year. The competition will not come down to a star player though. Rather, every student on the BC campus is expected to bring their A-game. BC is participating in the nationwide recycling competition RecycleMania.
RecycleMania plays on the competitive attitude that exists between schools throughout the nation. The rivalries spawned from sports, clubs, and other intercollegiate activities are the driving force behind the contest. "It's fun to be able to capture the competitive spirit in a way that promotes and changes the environment," said Deirdre Manning, director of sustainability. Schools from across the country in all 50 states, as well as Canada and India are participating in RecycleMania this year.
For 10 weeks, the amount of recycled material is calculated by weight in U.S. pounds. Every week the used material on campus is weighed and recorded. Every plastic container, piece of paper, batteries, and anything else placed in the proper receptacles is counted toward the score. Recycling bins are located on the campus grounds, in dormitories, and in dining halls.
RecycleMania is a part of a school-wide effort at BC to make the campus more environmentally-friendly. "[RecycleMania] provides a framework for BC," Manning said. "We want to have 50 percent of everything used on campus to be recycled. Right now, we are at about 40 percent," Manning said. While RecycleMania has several different categories in which schools are ranked, including "Waste Minimization" and "Paper," those organizing RecycleMania at BC would like to see an increase in participation.
"Student awareness is most important. [BC needs to] improve by getting people involved," said Dick Range, manager of housekeeping utility functions. "Harvard does well with office paper, we want everything to improve and increase the number of participants," Manning said.
The Undergraduate Student Government of BC (UGBC) has been involved in the recycling movement as well, contrbuting to publicity and organization operations. "[UGBC is] also working with ResLife to promote RecycleMania in the residence halls," said Chris Denice, president of the UGBC and CSOM '09. Denice also said that "recycling is major" in the overall green campaign at BC.
BC has been a competitor in RecycleMania since 2005 when there were approximately 50 schools in the running. Last year BC ranked 12th in the nation and second in Massachusetts against over 400 colleges across the country, making major contributions to the 58.6 million pounds of recycled material collected during RecyleMania in 2008. "I hope to beat the other ACC schools first. Then I would really like BC to have the bragging rights in Massachusetts," Range said. There are 20 schools in Massachusettes participating in RecycleMania.
RecycleMania started in 2001 and began as a competition between Miami University and Ohio University. Since then, RecycleMania has grown, doubling its participants almost every year and increasing the amount of recycled material. Only two univerisites competed in 2001; eight years later there are 508 colleges participating in the competition.
Manning said that all of the recyclable material collected is properly processed. "I want to dispel the rumors that when people put something in a recycling receptacle it goes somewhere different. It goes to a huge facility to be sorted, not to a landfill," Manning said. "Go to the facility in Charlestown and get involved."
In addition to the UGBC, the school administration, athletics department, libraries, the BC Bookstore, ResLife, grounds keeping, and dining halls all work to reduce, reuse, and recycle. These organizations may work behind the scenes, as the cafeteria staff in Corcoran Commons does behind the silver spinning racks separating trash from recyclable material, or they may just be outside; landscapers send yard waste to be composted.
The 2009 RecycleMania season lasts for two and a half months. Every student has the opportunity to compete and help BC defeat its rivals across the country. "The competition [allows us] to show what we can do against other schools. I'm confident our numbers are there," Range said.
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