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The national RecycleMania competition is now in progress and participating students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are hoping this year’s recycling numbers will be higher than last year’s.

“RecycleMania is a competition among colleges and universities across the nation,” said Kevin Adkins, SIUE sustainability officer. “The purpose is to encourage students and the University community who are not recycling to do so, and to encourage those who are to do more.” This year’s marks SIUE fourth participation in the contest.

RecycleMania 2015 began Feb. 1 and will end March 28. “During that time, waste is collected for a total of six weeks,” Adkins said. “At the end of each of the six weeks, the waste is weighed and the number is recorded. The school with the highest recycling percentage rates wins.”

But the main goal of RecycleMania is to get students to recycle, said Brooke Kottkamp, president of the Student Organization for Sustainability (SOS).

“Student participation in RecycleMania is all about the formation of positive habits,” Kottkamp said. “We encourage recycling all year round, but we’re hoping the motivation of competition can build momentum and further encourage sustainable behaviors.

“It is our hope that students who learn positive waste management habits at SIUE will become sustainability role models and leaders in their own communities. RecycleMania is the catalyst we are using at SIUE to initiate that ripple effect.”

Members of SOS helped create excitement and awareness about RecycleMania at the men’s and women’s basketball games on January 24, Kottkamp said.

SOS hopes to raise its recycling rate, which was about 15 percent last year, Kottkamp said.

According to Atkins, the national recycling rate is about 35 percent.

“We need everybody to do what they can. We can do better. It’s not just for a competition,” Adkins said, “Recycling is for the good of our individual lives, our community and our planet.”

To learn more about recycling and RecycleMania, visit the following: Recycling Symbols, RecycleMania and Republic Services.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.

Photos:

Student Organization for Sustainability (SOS) members shown from left to right: Mary Cummane, Brooke Kottkamp (SOS President), Michelle Miller (SOS Social Media Officer), Tyler Slaby (SOS Secretary) and Alyssa de Long.

Kevin Adkins, SIUE sustainability officer