CMU participates in Campus Race to Zero Waste
CMU is approximately halfway through the Campus Race to Zero Waste with plenty of goals met and more to reach.
Campus Race to Zero Waste is an annual competition organized by RecycleMania which began in January 2001 as a challenge between Ohio University and Miami University. Now, over 1,100 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada have participated in the RecycleMania competition. CMU is one of five Michigan schools participating in the program.
So far, over one million pounds of waste has been recycled and composted according to the organization's website.
Student sustainability liaison for Facilities Management, Eric Urbaniak said the first week of the competition brought a diversion rate of approximately 29% and now in week four CMU’s diversion rate sits at 33%.
Photo taken March 10 in Kesseler Hall.
On average 80,000 pounds of material leaves campus every week, and that 4% difference equates to approximately 1000-2000 more pounds of waste being recycled instead of going to a landfill.
While CMU ranks third in the country for composting efforts data shows that the university is 68th in per capita recycling. Urbaniak said this is mainly an educational issue and can be improved with better communication.
"It's not that we're missing the infrastructure to recycle, but it's more so I think people don't realize what can be recycled," Urbaniak said.
The competition ends March 27 and winners will be announced a month later.
Here are some easy ways to participate and improve on waste management practices:
· Know what can be recycled. Things like cardboard are one of the obvious recyclable materials that aren’t being properly disposed of at CMU. Additionally, items like headphones, phone chargers, tissue boxes and more can be recycled.
· Know when items can be recycled. An electronic drive is being held at the end of the semester where students can drop off any electronics they don't use or want.
· Conduct a personal waste audit. Going through your trash and finding what could have been recycled or composted can help you better understand where you can improve.
· Watch educational videos on the Central Sustainability YouTube channel to learn more.
Visit Central Sustainability to learn more about Central Race to Zero Waste.
