Ready, Set, Recycle!

feature 2, issue 16, Recyclemania, Ryan Inouye, Campus Life - By Ryan Inouye on Thursday, February 9, 2012 - 03:14

As of Monday, Feb. 6, every aluminum can counts. In an effort to reduce the school’s carbon footprint, Whittier College is participating in the national RecycleMania competition, a challenge that motivates students to recycle. This is the second time the College is partaking in this competition. Having begun on Feb. 6, students have approximately six weeks to collect as many cans as possible.

The entire student body has been divided into teams based on where they live—each residence hall is its own team and commuters also are their own team. Recycle bins have been distributed throughout campus for the collection process. All students living on campus will find blue recycle bins on each floor of their residence hall that will contribute toward their dorm’s grand total. Commuters can find their designated recycling bins in the Campus Center near the lockers.

At the end of each week, all the cans will be collected to count and compare the progress between the teams. Recyclables will be divided into four categories: bottles and cans, paper, cardboard and miscellaneous items. “I’m excited to see the progress over the week,” student manager of Poets Recycle junior Amber Orozco said. “I am interested in seeing if the amount of recycling collected each week will increase over time.”

Throughout the competition, events will be put on each week to keep students engaged and informed about their team’s progress. Ranging from presentations to displays to movies, these get-togethers will serve as a place where students can learn more about how much of an impact recycling can have on the environment. Educating the faculty and student body is an important objective that many of the organizations on campus hope to achieve. “I want to spread the word,” Raising Awareness for the Environment (RAE) member sophomore Mauricio Escobar said. “I want to get students to be more excited about recycling. We’ve been dormstorming and handing out fliers to inform the campus of this competition.” Students who are very proactive about the environment, such as Escobar and Orozco, see this competition as an opportunity for other students to gain interest in the subject.

Many clubs and organizations on campus have donated their time and effort toward this cause. While Poets Recycle and RAE have played a key role in jumpstarting this competition, the Environmental Club, Environmental Committee, Poet Entertainment, Program Board and Associated Students of Whittier College (ASWC) Senate have also contributed to the success of RecycleMania.

After the competition comes to an end on March 21, the bottles and cans will be redeemed and the money earned will be donated to a charity. The winning team will be awarded T-shirts, as well as the rewarding feeling of knowing that they helped the planet.