On February 26, 2014 over 100 volunteers collaborated in a competition at a U of I basketball game to divert as much waste as possible from landfill.  Isolated waste bins were changed into recycling stations with new signs for landfill and recycling.   Fans were educated by volunteers about which bin to use.   After the game, participants collected and recycled as much as possible.  Landfilled and recycled materials were weighed and recorded to indicate a diversion rate of 31.5%.

The rennovation of the State Farm Center (previously known as the Assembly Hall) will seek LEED Gold certification.  One item that this includes is the prerequisite that the building have indoor recycling bins placed throughout the facility.  This will be a nice follow up to the first Zero Waste Game Day event our campus held in Spring 2014.

E-Cyclemania

On March 18th from 2pm to 6pm the Urbana-Champaign Campus will host an e-waste collection event as part of Recyclemania, a national competition to minimize waste and reduce the amount of material going to landfill.  On that date there will be three collection sites including the Allen Hall turn-around, Ikenberry Commons at Euclid Avenue, and a vehicle drop-off behind the ISTC Building in the research park. Personal electronics will be accepted free of charge including anything that has a plug or runs on batteries.  However the event can’t accept university owned inventory.  

In an effort to reduce traffic congestion that is sometimes created by such an event, volunteers will help pick material using bicycles and carts (E-cyclers).  Buildings participating in the event can begin collecting e-waste on the morning of March 18th.  The E-cyclers will pick up that material and transport it to one of the collection sites.  E-waste that is too heavy to transport by cart should be delivered to the ISTC vehicle drop-off.

All e-waste collected will be recycled by a vendor that is R2 and E-steward certified.  Weight of the material collected will be reported as part of the national Recyclemania competition.  Additional information can be found here.

View the facebook page here.

If you have questions about the event or would like to volunteer, please contact Bart Bartels atbbartel@illinois.edu or 217-244-7572. 

Wednesday night marked the first ever involvement with RecycleMania on this campus, and our Illini basketball team were not the only winners that evening.  The event at the Illini-Nebraska basketball game was successful for all involved.  Over 100 student volunteers partnered with various campus organizations and departments to raise awareness about reducing our environmental impact, and to help divert recyclable materials from landfills. Our first attempt, encouraged by the competitive atmosphere of the game, enabled us to divert 31.5% of the waste from landfills. 

By weighing all of the event’s trash and recycling, a baseline data point was established and areas for improvement were identified.  While Illinois' ranking in the national RecycleMania competition won't be known until after March 30, the impact made on the community left many participants feeling like they made a difference and that our Basketball team were not the only winners that evening. 

If you have any questions contact Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.

Zero waste

Recyclemania kicks off Feb. 26

A friendly recycling competition will take place during the Illinois-Nebraska basketball game Feb. 26 at State Farm Center. Fans can compete against other schools around the country by recycling with the goal of a “zero waste basketball game.”

During the game, the university will compete in Recyclemania, a friendly competition and assessment tool used to promote waste reduction activities in college communities. Recycling and landfill materials from the game will be weighed to calculate the event’s diversion rate; the more waste diverted from landfill, the better. The weights will then be entered into Recyclemania’s national database for future benchmarking and comparison. 

The university’s entrance into this national competition is a collaborative effort among the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; Facilities and Services; State Farm Center; the Student Sustainability Committee; and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.  Volunteers from Students for Environmental Concerns and Teryl Brewster’s psychology class of “Social Justice Educators” will help direct the efforts at recycling locations during the event. 

Winning schools receive national recognition and an award made out of recyclable materials. Goals of the event include motivating the campus community to minimize waste and increase recycling efforts.

For more information and updates on the event, see https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/recyclemania or email Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.

--The above was quoted from Inside Illinois, Brief Notes.

University Housing and Facilities & Services are collaborating to facilitate an e-waste collection day as part of Recyclemania, a national competition to change behavior and reduce waste.  The event is tentatively scheduled for March 18th.  All electronics will be accepted free of charge.  Locations and hours of operation will be announced in the next couple weeks.  To volunteer please email Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.