Ecologue

It was a close one, but OSU won the RecycleMania Civil War against the University of Oregon! This win comes after two consecutive years of losses.

The annual competition pit us against UO to see which university could recycle the most over 8-weeks. OSU ended this year’s competition with 11.9 to 11.8 – only 0.07 pounds per person more than our competitor.

The Civil War was close throughout the competition, OSU never taking more than a 0.7 pound lead. “I was a little worried that I wouldn’t get to see us win while I was a student,” said Kyle Reed, the Student Outreach Assistant for Campus Recycling. “UO is a strong competitor, but in the end we came out on top.”

During the 2015 competition, OSU recycled 265,070 pounds and composted 55,006 pounds. Looking at per capita recycling and compost, we collected 5% and 17% more than last year, respectively. Meanwhile, per capita trash increased by less than half a percent.

The win signals the end of UO’s two-year winning streak, marking the fourth time OSU has won the competition. OSU also won in 2010, 2011, and 2012. We not only will regain the title, but also the Civil War trophy, which will return in the coming weeks. Campus Recycling is working to see if the trophy can tour the campus upon its return.

The Civil War occurs locally as a part of the national RecycleMania competition. The larger competition features colleges from across the nation competing to recycle the most and minimize the trash produced. Events were hosted throughout the term to promote the competition, including a campus competition between Residence Halls.