WILLIAMSPORT - Lycoming College was one of 605 colleges and universities that recently participated in the nationwide Recyclemania competition.
During the 10-week program, Lycoming's buildings and grounds staff collected plastic, glass, cans, cardboard and paper from receptacles across the campus. The recyclables were weighed and data was recorded weekly.
This year, the college recycled a total of 14,412 pounds of material, nearly 3,500 pounds more than what was recycled in 2011. Lycoming ranked 47th in the nation in recycled weight per student for bottles and cans, 85th in corrugated cardboard and 156th in paper.
The college made significant efforts to increase recycling awareness on campus during the 2011-12 academic year, thanks in part to its sustainability office and committee, as well as the Lycoming Environmental Awareness Foundation. Receptacles were labeled to make material sorting easier, and almost 1,600 personal recycling bins were funded by a grant from the Alcoa Foundation. These improvements have led to greater student participation, according to the college.
The amount of materials that were recycled resulted in a waste reduction equivalent to eight metric tons of carbon dioxide, equal to keeping four cars off the road or eliminating the energy consumption of two households during the 10 weeks of Recylemania.
