In 2010, Denison joined more than 600 schools as a participant in RecycleMania, a ten-week national recycling challenge among American universities. RecycleMania is a friendly competition intended to increase awareness and inspire students to adopt more environmentally sustainable practices. As part of the 2010 competition, students participated in a trash sort to remove recyclable items from one day's trash that were incorrectly thrown away. This resulted in the recovery of 641 additional pounds of recyclable material that was displayed in a giant tower in the student union. Denison finished first among Ohio colleges, and 44th nationally with a recycled material amount of 23.53 lbs/person.

 

As part of the 2011 competition, students participated in a trash sort to remove recyclable items from one day's trash that were incorrectly thrown away and then displayed them in the student union.In 2011, Denison finished first among Ohio colleges in recycling per capita, and 28th nationally with a recycled material amount of 28.25 lbs/person. Over the course of the competition Denison collected a total of 81,328 pounds of recyclables on campus, an increase from the previous year.

 

In 2012, Denison finished second among Ohio colleges in recycling per capita, and 22nd nationally with a recycled material amount of 34.92 lbs/person. Over the course of the competition Denison collected a total of 101,013 pounds of recyclables on campus, an increase of nearly 20,000 lbs from the previous year.

 

The 2013 competition runs from January20 - March 30th. Participating students should make a conscious effort to consume less and recycle more. Real-time updates of Denison's progress can be viewed here.