Last week’s trash responsible for fall
Friday marked the close of week three in the nationwide Recyclemania competition. CU fell down in the rankings to 28th out of over 200 universities. Only six weeks remain in the competition.
Number one in the competition is Cal State San Marcos, followed by CU’s long-time rival Colorado State University, which ranked 10th nationally.
Daniel Baril, recycling program manager, said earlier in February that CU hopes to place in the top 10.
Baril said CU recycling is still keeping top 10 in mind, but he and his crew have a more important goal in mind: awareness.
“The true essence of the competition is to increase awareness at CU and nationwide about recycling and waste reduction,” Baril said.
Baril said last week’s trash increase is what set CU behind. In week one, 118,860 pounds of trash was collected as opposed to week two’s 141,080-pound collection.
Although the recycling program is looking for an increase in recycling, they are also looking for a decrease in waste.
CU’s recycling totals also went down. The difference between week one and week two was 357 pounds.
Baril said many factors could have contributed to the increase in waste and decrease in recycling the past week.
“It could be anything, like random remodeling or more events on campus last week,” Baril said.
Baril and the recycling program are continuing to spread awareness on campus through group interaction. The outreach staff has coordinated “Dorm Storm.”
Cha Cha Spinrad, a sophomore mechanical engineering major and the Outreach staff volunteer coordinator, said recycling is easy and Outreach will even do the hard part for you.
The Outreach program goes from dorm to dorm to collect recyclables out of individual rooms. Spinrad said it’s hit or miss, but well worth the hard work.
“Some people we just can’t reach out to,” Spinrad said. “But there are a lot of people that start to understand and get really excited when we come in and visit.”
CU Recycling will also work together with the Freshman Council to put together the Recycle X Games on March 5.
This outdoor games event will include activities like a dumpster dive and recycling relay, where the student who sorts the most recyclable materials wins.
So if seeking revenge against CSU isn’t reason enough to participate, Baril said to do it for the environment.
Baril recommends setting up a small recycling bin next to your trashcan. The bin can even be as simple as a cardboard box.
“Sort your materials while you are throwing away trash and look for recycle bins on campus, they’re everywhere,” Baril said.
For more information on Recyclemania visit their http://www.recyclemania.org/
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Vanna Livaditis at Vanna.Livaditis@thecampuspress.com
