Last year Rutgers won major prizes, for our collective efforts to conserve the environment. In 2009 we hope to do even better.

RecycleMania is a friendly ten-week competition among colleges and universities to determine which institution has the best recycling rates across the country. RecycleMania's goal is to increase awareness and involvement in campus recycling efforts. Schools compete by measuring the weekly amount of paper, containers (plastic, glass, and cans), and cardboard collected for recycling during a 10-week period from January 18 to March 28. The school with the largest cumulative total wins.

Born out of a challenge between Ohio University and Miami University in 2001, RecycleMania grew to 93 competitors in 2006, and to 200 in 2007. In 2008 Rutgers won the Gorilla Prize for diverting 2.8 million pounds of recyclables from landfills, the Food Service Organics Prize for sending 50 pounds of food waste _per person_ to a local pig farmer, and second place in the Per Capita Classic and Cans & Bottles competitions. We also won third place in the overall Grand Champion competition, with an impressive 63% recycling rate.

The Rutgers University Libraries are a proud cosponsor of this initiative and we encourage all Rutgers faculty, students, and staff to recycle and help Rutgers rank among the program's top competitors.

For more information on Recyclemania 2009, please see: http://purchasing.rutgers.edu/green/recyclemania.htm