Rice scores big in national recycling contest

Rice scores big in national recycling contest

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Rice finished at the top of the Lone Star paper pile in a recent recycling contest among colleges and universities.

RecycleMania, a 10-week contest that wrapped up last month, drew more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide, including eight in Texas.

Rice contended in six different categories of the RecycleMania competition. In per capita paper recycling, Rice finished 14th out of a national field of 111 and first among Texas universities. In the “Per Capita Classic” category, which measured the total amount of recyclables collected per person, Rice placed 54th out of 175.

Rice sustainability planner Richard Johnson said he was pleased with Rice’s performance, and with the fact that more Texas schools competed this year.

“This was our second year to compete in RecycleMania,” Johnson said. “We showed real improvement, and we participated in more categories this year. We again demonstrated that we could compete with the best of them, including schools that are well-known for their environmental programs.”

Rice was the only Texas participant in RecycleMania in 2006. Johnson said the increased participation statewide indicates increased visibility of environmental issues in Texas. Participating Texas universities included Baylor, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, UT Austin, UT Dallas, UT San Antonio and UT Medical Branch Galveston.

Johnson said lots of hard work went into improving Rice’s record in 2007. He singled out Rice’s new recycling coordinator, Roy Perez, for his hard work. Johnson also lauded the custodial teams from both Facilities Engineering and Planning (FE&P) and Housing and Dining, as well as FE&P’s grounds crew and the Student Recycling Council.