UW-L is one of 510 colleges and universities participating in this year's RecycleMania event. The schools represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as institutions from outside the United States. Over a 10-week period from February 1 to April 11, 2009, participating schools will compete in various categories measuring the success of their recycling and waste prevention efforts.
Colleges and universities choose to participate in one of two divisions, the Competition or Benchmark. The Competition Division houses the traditional competitive rankings based on standard reporting criteria. The Benchmark Division allows schools to unofficially compare themselves with other schools and to promote RecycleMania on campus, without the formal reporting requirements of the competitive ranking. UW-La Crosse is in the competitive division this year.
The RecycleMania competition began in the spring of 2001 as a friendly challenge between recycling coordinators at two schools in Ohio, Miami University and Ohio University. From the outset, the competition was meant as a way to get students and staff more excited about participating in recycling efforts.
