The 2019 national Recyclemania competition is in full swing! Recyclemania is a friendly, nation-wide competition among colleges and universities to promote waste reduction and recycling practices on campuses. The competition started on February 3 and runs through March 30 and it is Lehigh’s seventh year participating.
This year, the goal is ZERO contamination recycling during the competition and beyond. Given the current state of the recycling industry globally, and the fact Lehigh’s local recycling vendor is tightening its rules on the types of materials it will accept, Lehigh needs to reduce the contamination in its recycling to no more than 0.5 percent. This means that any bags of recyclables with more than that level of contamination will be put in the trash, as they will not be accepted by Lehigh’s recycling vendor. LU Facilities, in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability, have been working to raise awareness among the campus community about how to properly decontaminate and dispose of recyclable materials.
So, how can YOU help Lehigh achieve ZERO recycling contamination? First, make sure to only recycle items that are supposed to be recycled at Lehigh. You can learn here what is and isn’t recyclable on campus (it may be different than what you can recycle at home). Second, be sure your recyclables are clean! This means rinsing off any food residue and dumping out any liquids before you toss them in the recycling bin. Always remember: when in doubt, throw it out! You run the risk of contaminating an entire batch of recyclables if you are unsure.
Besides promoting zero contamination recycling throughout the competition, the Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with other organizations and departments, have been hosting various interactive and engaging events! The Eco-Reps and the Mending Project kicked off Recyclemania 2019 with “Alteration Night” on Feb. 6. At this event, students, faculty, and staff brought imperfect articles of clothing to the Costume Shop to either be repurposed or mended in order to avoid throwing clothes away. For those with a mind for engineering, AOE and the Eco-Reps co-hosted a “Dream it! Build it!” event, where teams competed to see who could create the most sustainable structure. In addition, Lehigh Dining has multiple campaigns throughout Recyclemania, including a reusable mug campaign where you can purchase hot brewed coffee (any size) for $0.99 when you bring a reusable mug, and the skip the bag campaign, where students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to opt out of using a bag when purchasing items at Lehigh Dining retail locations.
If you were unable to attend Recyclemania events in February, but still want to get involved, the Recyclemania competition runs until March 30. There are plenty of events, campaigns, and interactive opportunities still to come on campus! Check out the official Recyclemania 2019 calendar for a full list of events and campaigns throughout the competition. By reducing waste and encouraging proper recycling habits, we can make Lehigh a more sustainable place to live, learn, and work.