CMU to participate in the Campus Race to Zero Waste throughout spring
For its fourteenth year in a row, Central Michigan University is participating in an annual competition to reduce waste throughout the Spring 2022 semester.
The Campus Race to Zero Waste, formerly called RecycleMania until the 2021 competition, is a national event put on by the National Wildlife Federation in which schools and universities compete to reduce waste.
Students can participate by helping out at two upcoming events while making conscious efforts to recycle and compost material that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
The goal is to end with a high diversion rate - the overall weight of materials diverted from a landfill. CMU has an average diversion rate of 38%. This number includes mixed recycling, composting and electronics recycling.
"Waste reduction is a community effort and in order to build a sustainable world, we need to be considerate of the environment in the waste that we are producing," co-director of Central Sustainability Eric Urbaniak said.
The first event is a low-waste basketball game on Feb. 5. Central Sustainability is asking Registered Student Organizations and volunteers to help separate waste into compost, recycling and trash bins.
The women's and men's basketball teams will play the University at Buffalo at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
An electronics recycling drive will be held from March 21 to March 25. The event is open to all students, staff and faculty who have on-campus electronics ready for disposal. CMU is accepting any small electronics as well as anything with a cord.
Check Central Sustainability's website for updates on the location of the event.
View the complete schedule for the Campus Race to Zero Waste below:
- Jan. 30: Competition Kickoff!
- Feb. 5: CMU Game Day Challenge: Basketball
- Feb. 26: Halfway point
- Mar. 21-25: CMU Electronics Drive
- Mar. 26: Last competition day
- April 28: National winners announced
The national competition sees over 600 schools and universities compete in reducing their waste production. Last year, CMU came second place in the food organics or composting category.
For more information on how to participate, reach out to co-directors of Central Sustainability, Eric Urbaniak (urban1ed@cmich.edu) or Teresa Homsi (homsi1tm@cmich.edu) or visit their office in Dow Room 292.
