For the past two years Rutgers has been a winner in the national Recyclemania competition. This year we hope to maintain and expand upon our leadership standing. The Libraries are proud to be a strong supporter of Rutgers' drive to dominate Recyclemania 2010.

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 17 to March 27. 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, to 200 in 2007, and to 450 in 2009. 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. Rutgers won the Gorilla Prize again in 2009, weighing in with more than twice the total recycling weights of the next highest school.

To help support this drive, the Libraries encourage all Rutgers faculty, staff, and students, and visitors on our campuses, to use the recycling bins in the Libraries facilities. There are separate receptacles for plastic, glass, and aluminum; for paper and cardboard; and for all other trash. If you're cleaning out old files or used notebooks, please use the 'Paper' recycling bins located in the Libraries or anywhere else on campus.