FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas will, for the first time, participate in RecycleMania, a national recycling competition.

Supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise program and the National Recycling Coalition, RecycleMania is a friendly competition among about 200 colleges and universities from around the country. Participants compete to see which school can recycle the most and create the least waste.

The competition runs from Jan. 27 through April 5. Weekly status boards will be posted to keep Razorback Recyclers apprised of the previous week’s collection data. The recyclable items that are tracked by the contest include paper, cardboard, cans and bottles. Contest managers will evaluate performance on a per capita basis.

The amount of solid waste generated also will be tracked on a weekly basis. Prizes will be awarded for buildings that generate the least waste and those that show the most improvement between the beginning and end of the contest. Organizers hope to see a significant reduction in the generation of solid waste and a significant increase in the amount of materials recycled. 

Students, faculty and staff may bring recyclable materials from home to contribute to the cause. Personal solid waste, however, is not allowed by university policy.

Please remind and encourage friends and colleagues to recycle all paper, cardboard, cans and bottles. For more information, visit the RecycleMania Web site at http://recyclemaniacs.org/index.htm .