On February 4th, The University of Central Florida will kick off with “RecycleMania”, a friendly recycling competition taking place at universities all across the nation

Each spring, college campuses participate in this competition with the goal of reducing waste impacts, increasing recycling rates, and bringing awareness to conservation issues. During this time, campuses will submit recycling weights by benchmarking against one another over a 10 week period.

Although UCF Recycles offers recycling services to the UCF community throughout the year, RecyleMania propels these initiatives to the forefront—highlighting both the successes of recycling and areas with room for improvement. It is a time where students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to dig deeper, to self-reflect on individual waste habits, and to implement lifestyle changes that can lead to a more sustainable world.

2018 marks another year that the university will be participating in the competition. This year, throughout February and March, participants will have the opportunity to take recycling pledges, participate in “Mugshots” that will promote the usage of reusable mugs, and engage in electronic recycling activities.

“We’re looking to increase recycling efforts on campus at every chance we can get.” Recycling Coordinator Keith Krueger said. “We have a lot of room for improvement and will be focusing on adding recycling units around campus and improving overall operations”

These initiatives to improve and increase recycling on campus align with the universities goal of becoming a zero waste campus. In 2016, UCF reported a recycling diversion rate of 35%. By adding more bins, improving signage, and increasing awareness of recycling among individuals, UCF aspires to have a 75% recycling rate by 2020.

“Everyone can make a difference” Krueger said. “If you see one person recycling, it promotes others to recycle as well. Every item that is diverted from landfills will have an impact on our future”.

Follow Sustainable UCF on social media for recycling tips throughout the competition. Dates for upcoming events can be viewed on the Sustainability Initiatives calendar.To learn what items can be recycled at UCF visit http://fo.ucf.edu/recycle/