Students are called on to become 'Recycle-Maniacs'

By: Jessica Medeiros

Posted: 2/16/07

02/16/07 - How many times have you finished a soda and dropped the bottle into the trashcan? Now think about how many times you chose to ignore the blue recycling bin right next to it.

Nancy Hawksley, coordinator of University of Rhode Island Recycling Facilities said this happens all too often, particularly on college campuses.

"So many people used to recycle at home when they were younger," Hawksley said. "Now when they don't have anyone watching over them, they tend to forget. We just want people to make a conscious effort to do the right thing."

In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of recycling, Hawksley has entered URI in Recyclemania, a nine-week competition between more than 200 schools in the United States.

URI first competed in Recyclemania last year, and while it did not place, Hawksley said she hopes the university will perform better this year.

"Last year was our first year, and we basically used it to get an idea of how we can motivate people to participate," she said. "It's always a challenge to get people on board, but we hope to make a good showing."

URI is competing to collect the largest amount of recyclables per person, a competition known as the Per Capita Classic.

One week into the competition, URI is currently 73rd out of 140 schools participating in the competition.

Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design are other universities in Rhode Island competing in the Per Capita Classic. Brown is currently in first place out of the three, with 2.58 pounds per person, followed by URI with 1.53 pounds per person and RISD with .76 pounds per person.

URI will have to step it up in order to walk away with one of the trophies constructed out of recycled materials, as first place is currently occupied by Sheldon Jackson College in Alaska with 13.91 pounds of recyclables per person.

There is another competition that URI is not enrolled in called Waste Minimization, which rewards the school that produces the least amount of municipal waste, including trash and recyclables.

So far, there has not been much support for Recyclemania at URI, but Hawksley said she hopes all members of the university community will participate.

"We try to make it easy and convenient for people to recycle," she said. "We really want people to think twice before they just toss a bottle into the trash can."

Hawksley said she and her crew of five students have increased the number of recycling bins around campus and sent flyers out to all faculty and staff to raise awareness.

"Winning would be really nice," she said. "It's a daunting task to try to change the habits of 14,000 people, but we're certainly trying."