KINGSTON, R.I. – February 22, 2007 – The University of Rhode Island has entered RECYCLEMANIA, a recycling competition between colleges and universities across the country.

URI is competing against faculty, staff, and students at 201 campuses from Rhode Island to California. The 10-week competition, which began Jan. 28, will end on April 7.

URI recycles many kinds of materials including paper, alkaline batteries, glass, plastics, metal cans, and ink cartridges. Cans, bottles, paper and cardboard will count towards the Recyclemania effort. URI Recycling provides recycling bins of various sizes throughout campus.

Students, faculty and staff can simply drop off their recyclables in the recycling bins around campus. Blue or blue-labeled bins are for cans and bottles, green are for paper and beige cardboard, dumpsters are for flattened cardboard boxes.

Universities weigh in weekly and contests are held to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate.

In 2006, nearly 100 schools involved in the program recycled close to 20 million pounds of material.

The event is intended to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization. Trophies, awards and certificates are awarded at the end of the 10-week period.

RECYCLEMANIA was established in 2001 and is sponsored by the National Recycling Coalition, the EPA’s WasteWise program and the National Wildlife Federation.

For more information, call URI Recycling at 874-2840 or visit www.uri.edu/admin/recycle.