RecycleMania	Print Issue
April 27, 2010, Volume 56, No. 31

RecycleMania is our annual opportunity to focus Penn’s community on recycling—it’s both an exercise in building awareness and in education. This year we had numerous University-wide events focused on recycling—from recycling contests in College Houses to small size recycling bin giveaways to lectures and films—and we also distributed tips and guides to recycling at Penn.

Minimizing waste by printing less and making sustainable choices as consumers is the first step to a more sustainable campus. Recycling paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, and glass is normal behavior among undergraduates at Penn, and we’re looking forward to building our recycling rate year after year, as students, staff, and faculty make recycling their “default” behavior. This year’s cumulative total of almost 24% is 2% points higher than last year, but we can do better! We’re encouraging the entire Penn community to learn what can be recycled, take steps to make sure you can recycle in your classrooms, offices, and College Houses, and then make it your routine behavior every day.

—Dan Garofalo,
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator

2010 RecycleMania at Penn Results

January 17-March 27, 2010

In the past two years that Penn has participated in RecycleMania, the recycling rate has increased from 19.93% in 2008 to 23.53% in 2010.

Waste Minimization: Penn ranked first in the Waste Minimization competition. In this competition, schools compete to see which produces the least amount of municipal solid waste (including both recyclables and trash) per person.

Gorilla Prize: Penn placed third in the Gorilla Prize competition. In this competition, schools compete to see which can collect the highest gross tonnage of recyclables, regardless of campus population.

Grand Champion: Overall, Penn placed fourth in the Grand Champion competition, getting a total of 23.5% recycling rate overall. The Grand Champion is the school that, based on their combined results, demonstrates the greatest achievement in both source reduction and recycling.