Recyclemania Update: Week 2

Contact: Ohio University Refuse and Recycling Manager Ed Newman, 740-593-0231

Ohio University students took a beating the second week of "Recyclemania 2001," a friendly 10-week competiton with Miami University to see which campus can recycle the most materials.

The contest, which began Feb. 5 and ends April 13, is intended to encourage the smart use and reuse of materials. Each week, recyclables from the two schools' residence halls and dining halls are weighed, and per-capita figures are compiled based on the number of on-campus residents. (Ohio University has 7,044 students living on campus, while Miami has 6,745.)

Following an Ohio win in week one, Miami rebounded to take the lead. During the week of Feb. 12-18, Ohio University students contributed a total of 27,530 pounds of recyclables yielding 3.908 pounds per capita. However, Miami recycled a total of 27,992 pounds of materials, yielding 4.15 pounds per capita.

The week of Feb 5-11, Ohio students took an early lead in the contest, recycling 3.965 pounds per capita. Miami's per-capita total was 3.71 pounds. That works out to about 27,932 pounds of recycles collected at Ohio and 25,030 collected at Miami.

At the end of the 10 weeks, the campus that collects the most recyclables will win a unique trophy made of recycled materials. "Trophy Man" stands about three feet high, and his body parts include a rusted propane tank, a bowling ball, a few door knobs and an old iron.

Refuse and Recycling Manager Ed Newman lined up the trophy's creation by Robin Kelly, a longtime recycling advocate who made the "Mattress Man" attraction that stands guard outside ReUse Industries in Albany.