DENTON (UNT), Texas -- For the fifth consecutive year the University of North Texas is participating in the RecycleMania Tournament, a friendly national competition for college and university recycling programs.

The competition runs from Feb. 3 through March 29. UNT Sustainability, the Union Program Council and UNT Eco-Reps will host on-campus RecycleMania events, including a residence hall recycling competition.

RecycleMania participants are ranked based on the highest percentage of waste diverted from landfills. The event’s mission is to motivate students, staff and faculty at universities to recycle more and reduce waste.

“With more than 600 colleges and universities competing in the U.S. and Canada, RecycleMania is a combination of spirit, tradition and sustainability,” said Nicole Cocco, outreach coordinator with UNT Sustainability. “It is also an opportunity to instill a sense of pride by combating with friendly adversaries here in Texas. By working together as an institution to divert waste from landfills, UNT students, faculty and staff can all be a part of the commitment to create a more sustainable future.” 

One of the greatest potentials of RecycleMania is the collection and reporting of data. Schools participating must acquire weights or weight estimates for both trash and recycling to compete in the Grand Championship.

The RecycleManiacs, a UNT student group, will work throughout the competition to conduct trash audits and help the university assess its waste diversion rate, which is the percentage of solid waste diverted from landfills.

UNT Sustainability will work with the RecycleManiacs, UNT Recycling and the City of Denton recycling office to collect and report data to the RecycleMania organization.

UNT has robust recycling programs, and each year the university recycles more than 360 tons of paper and cardboard, nearly 5,000 pounds of cans and 600,000 plastic bottles.