Wilkes University joined more than 3.4 million college students and staff across the country in a competition to reduce the campus waste footprint. Wilkes took second place nationally in the Per Capita Recycling Category. Loyola Marymount in California placed first in the medium-sized campus category in which Wilkes was included.
Wilkes University’s success comes mainly at the efforts of the facilities staff in partnership with environment engineering students. Color-coded recycling cans were introduced on campus in recent years, building awareness of what can be recycled while ensuring it is clear to others. In addition, Wilkes students promote practical initiatives that benefit the environment in an ongoing basis.
Through minimization efforts by donating, composting and recycling more than 29.4 million pounds of waste, institutions collectively kept more than 200 million single-use plastic containers out of landfills and prevented the release of 29,108 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equal to avoiding the annual emissions from 6,128 cars.
“The impact these colleges and universities have on reducing their waste footprint is tremendous and almost hard to comprehend. To prevent the release of more than 29,000 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and more than 200 million single-use plastics out of landfills is staggering and truly something to be proud of,” said Kristy Jones, director of higher education programs at National Wildlife Federation. “The collective efforts to minimize waste and reduce stress on natural resources is inspiring and creating a better world for wildlife and the environment.”
“Congratulations to all participating campuses,” says Stacy Wheeler, president and co-founder of the competition. “Annually the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition provides key tools and opportunities that inspire, empower and mobilize colleges and universities to improve their efforts to benchmark and promote their zero waste practices.
For more details about our categories and winners, please visit the 2023 Scoreboard.
About Campus Race to Zero Waste
Campus Race to Zero Waste – formerly known as RecycleMania – is the nation’s premier waste reduction and recycling competition among colleges and universities, managed by National Wildlife Federation, and governed by RecycleMania, Inc. Campus Race to Zero Waste has been helping campuses minimize waste and improve their recycling efforts, since its launch in 2001.
