RecycleMania inspires sustainability efforts

Although Penn is unlikely to reach its goal in RecycleMania, ­the University will continue initiatives to increase recycling.

In February, centers across Penn started programs to increase Penn’s recycling rate for RecycleMania, an eight-week competition among colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Although data from the last week of the competition has yet to be released, Penn recycled around 28 percent of its waste, two-percent short of the cumulative recycling goal, Sustainability Coordinator Dan Garofalo said.

Nevertheless, Penn will continue to increase recycling rates and minimize waste even after the competition has ended, in order to reach its goals for the Climate Action Plan — Penn’s program to reduce its carbon footprint.

Penn Purchasing will continue initiatives it started in February for an overall “smaller carbon footprint,” Sustainability director for Business Services Laurie Cousart said.

Telrose — the company that provides office supplies to Penn — now delivers all shipments over 20 pounds in reusable totes instead of corrugated cardboard cartons.

Purchasing is also encouraging departments to place infrequent large orders rather than frequent small orders to reduce packaging and transportation

In the past, no one thought twice about ordering a single box of pens, Business Services spokeswoman Barbara Lea-Kruger said. By eliminating orders under $25, Penn can eliminate 3,000 packages and reduce 17,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, she added.

Departments will also receive a three-percent discount on orders of office supplies above $200, Cousart said.

For RecycleMania, the School of Arts and Sciences expanded their battery recycling program to more buildings.

Several SAS buildings now have “The Big Green Box” ­— which collects batteries and electronics — Sustainability Coordinator Sara King said.

It is often difficult to find a place to recycle alkaline batteries, which are used in many laboratories and projects on campus, King said. “You have to make [recycling] convenient for people. Otherwise most people won’t do it,” she said.

The response has been “huge,” said King, who estimates the boxes ­— which are shipped to a location off-site to be recycled — have collected 360 pounds of batteries and electronics since the first boxes were placed in SAS buildings last October.

If batteries are not recycled, the toxic chemicals they contain often end up in a landfill, Engineering sophomore and Eco-Rep Annie Mroz said. Mroz, who thinks battery recycling should be more accessible to students, has tried to recycle batteries in the past but could not find the correct location to do so.

Students “absolutely” should participate in battery recycling, King said.

Other initiatives started for RecycleMania — such as Wharton’s paper towel recycling ­­— will continue and may be expanded to other areas in the future, Garofalo said.

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