University of Arkansas Office for Sustainability Set to Kick Off RecycleMania 2013

RecycleMania, a national competition in higher education to increase recycling rates and decrease waste, kicked off at the University of Arkansas on Feb. 3 and lasts through March 30. The Office for Sustainability is coordinating efforts across the U of A community to discover improved recycling strategies. Razorback Recycling, a function of the facilities management department, tracks paper, cardboard, cans and bottles for the contest.

University of Arkansas won the SEC competition in the Waste Minimization and the Grand Champion categories in 2011. U of A students, staff and faculty produced the least amount of trash per person and had the overall largest recycling rates for those years. U of A slipped to third in the SEC competition last year. “We competed against other SEC schools and we didn’t do as well as we have done in previous years. I know that we can do better than that this year,” said Carlos Ochoa, director of the Office for Sustainability.

“We need every member of the University of Arkansas community to make an online pledge to reduce waste and increase their recycling efforts” said Ochoa. To ensure the University of Arkansas increases its recycling rates, the Office for Sustainability will host several events throughout the semester, including an Office Spring Clean-Out Campaign, an RSO Recycling Competition, and an e-waste drive throughout the semester. The Office for Sustainability encourages staff and faculty to take this opportunity to clean out their offices and recycle any outdated paper, books, and other recyclables. For assistance in these efforts, or to offer to help, contact the Office for Sustainability RecycleMania team at sustain@uark.edu.

RecycleMania events and opportunities to become involved can be found at sustainability.uark.edu/recyclemania2013.

For more information about RecycleMania contact Ochoa at sustain@uark.edu.