“Every item you recycle is one less item that ends up in a landfill. Remember, there is no ‘away!’”

So reads a CMU Sustainability Council handout promoting the university’s participation in the annual RecycleMania Tournament, wherein hundreds of schools across the U.S. and Canada compete to maximize recycled material over a four-week period from Feb. 2 to March 29.

Amanda Stahlke, vice president of  Sustainability Council, said that Facilities Services will be measuring the volume of recyclables collected during the competition. The measurements are submitted weekly to RecycleMania, and results are published for schools to compare their progress.

Since this is CMU’s first year in the competition, it is entered in the benchmark division, where unofficial competitors raise awareness among students and build a system for the future.

“[RecycleMania] is going to raise awareness in students and help raise their personal accountability,” West Crouch, a Sustainability Council member, said. “It will help make this a greener campus and set an example for the community.”

Sustainability Council has planned a bevy of events to promote the RecycleMania competition.

Wednesday, it will collaborate with PAC for this week’s Heart the Hump event, which invites students to plant a free succulent plant in a recycled pot.

Saturday, Sustainability Council plans to hold a ‘greenout’ in Brownson Arena, where students will be challenged to collect as many recyclables as possible during the evening’s basketball games.

From Feb. 24-Feb. 28, Sustainability Council plans a ‘Mugathon,’ where it will collect ‘mugshots’ of students posing with reusable mugs instead of non-recyclable cups.

The final day of RecycleMania is March 29.

chrisclark2@mavs.coloradomesa.edu