How much good can UMass Lowell do for the environment? That question will be answered over the next few weeks over the course of RecycleMania.

RecycleMania is a national eight-week competition, running from Feb. 2 to March 29 to see which school can compost the most food and recycle the most electronics. This year will mark UMass Lowell’s first entry into the contest.

The Sustainability Steering Committee is spearheading the contest and looking to work with engaged students and student groups to make RecycleMania a success.

For the food composting portion of RecycleMania, the University is currently composting the organic material left behind from uneaten food.

The waste goes through a pulper, is ground, sent to a collection bin and goes to a nearby composting facility. In turn, this compost comes back the University in the spring to be used on campus.

The school’s compost numbers are tracked in two categories: pre-consumer waste and post-consumer waste.

Pre-consumer waste is waste from food preparation, such as unwanted parts of fruits and vegetables, while post-consumer waste is what is left after someone has had their meal, such as a half-eaten sandwich.

Records from Dining Services provide the figures for pre-consumer waste, while post-consumer estimates are recorded at University Dining Commons by weighing the trash bags and recording the date before they are thrown into dumpsters.

Due to a close relationship between the Sustainability Steering Committee and the University’s waste hauler, Casella, the University planned to start composting unpulped food waste from the other dining halls (Mill City Restaurant, ICC Dining, Southwick Dining, etc.) on March 1.

Records of all waste collected throughout UMass Lowell will be tallied weekly and totaled at the end of the eight weeks.

The electronics recycling portion of RecycleMania is a 30-day contest, running from Feb. 28 to March 29. The University will be assessed against other schools based on the following criteria: total number of electronics collected and total weight of electronics collected.

In addition, North and South campuses will have their own electronics recycling challenge judged on the same criteria throughout the month of March.

Drop-off boxes are located in high-traffic areas on each campus, including, but not limited to the first floor of Olney Hall on North Campus, Fox Hall on East Campus, the second floor of McGauvran Hall on South Campus and more. All drop-off locations will contribute to the University’s total to be measured against other schools.

The boxes will be emptied daily and the number of and weight of its contents will be tracked and recorded.

All types of electronics will be accepted for recycling. Collection will take place through normal campus activity and collection drives and initiatives, as well as pick-ups free of charge.
For free electronics pick-ups contact the Green Team by calling 978-943-6666, or by emailing Green_Team@uml.edu. The winners of the RecycleMania will be announced on April 1.