UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's University Park campus is once again taking part in the Campus Race to Zero Waste Competition. The annual event, coordinated by the National Wildlife Federation, is designed to help colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada improve their recycling and waste reduction initiatives. Spanning eight weeks, the contest began on Jan. 28 and will conclude on Mar. 23. Each week, the participating universities are required to submit reports on the amounts of materials gathered across their campus.

The goals for participating in this competition include:

• Reducing waste and increasing campus recycling efforts. 
• Focusing on target audiences or areas of campus (faculty, staff, students, and all campus buildings).
• Raising university support for campus waste reduction and recycling programs.
• Benchmarking against other institutions.

This year, Penn State is participating in the following categories:

• Per Capita Recycling – focusing on increasing campus recycling rate by tracking and reporting recyclables collected.
• Diversion – tracking and reporting the amount of recyclables (cans/bottles, paper and cardboard), food/organics and trash on a weekly basis.
• Food Organics – monitoring food waste and organic materials in offices, campus residential settings, dining facilities and special events.
• Electronics Recycling – collecting and recycling scrap electronics over one-month period.  
• Race to Zero Waste: One Building Challenge – focusing on comprehensive efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle the greatest amount of waste from a single designated building for four weeks. University Park’s Willard Building was selected for this category where EcoReps and Office of Physical Plant custodians will monitor the waste.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Campus Race to Zero competition, helping us actively engage campus stakeholders to support our waste reduction, contamination reduction, and recycling efforts,” said Ayodeji Oluwalana, Penn State’s waste reduction and recycling program manager in the Office of Physical Plant. “Participating in this competition has been highly beneficial, particularly in promoting the habit of waste reduction and encouraging positive recycling practices on campus. We need everyone to help play their part to make Penn State a zero-waste university.”

To follow along with the competition and weekly results, visit campusracetozero.org or follow @psu_recycles on Instagram. For those with questions regarding recycling and reuse options, contact recycling@psu.edu.