Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) was a runner-up in the state of Virginia in the latest “Recyclemania” competition. It’s the second straight year EMU has finished in second place.
“Recyclemania is a good reminder to folks each year that what we do with our waste is very important,” said Matthew Freed, EMU recycling crew leader. “We’ve been very consistent over the past five years, recycling roughly 38-40 percent of our waste.”
During the competition, schools reported recycling and trash data, which was then ranked according to who collected the largest amount of recyclables per capita, who collected the largest amount of total recyclables, and who created the least amount of trash per capita or had the highest recycling rate.
EMU recycled 38.78 percent of its trash, finishing behind William & Mary (54.44 percent) in the state competition. EMU was also the runner-up to Guilford College in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, as Guilford recycled 59.56 percent of its trash, placing 22nd in the nation.
Freed said EMU is also the only higher-education institution to collect its recycling by bicycle — “roughly 60 tons of recyclables and 25 tons of compost each year,” according to Freed.
EMU finished 68th out of 274 schools. Among area schools, James Madison recycled 23.64 percent, placing 177th.
More information on Recyclemania can be found at: recyclemaniacs.org.