ATHENS, Ohio -- In the biggest fight story sequel since "Rocky II," the competition has doubled for "Recyclemania 2002," the second edition of the trash-talking contest to see which university's students can recycle the most material. Fellow Mid-American Conference member Bowling Green State University and Ivy League member Harvard have joined original combatants Ohio University and Miami University, which kicked off the fray last year.

The competition, which runs from Feb. 4 until April 5, measures which school's students recycle the most per student. Each week, recyclables recovered from residence halls and dining halls will be weighed and then divided by the number of students residing on campus. Last year, Ohio and Miami students combined to recycle more than 170 tons of material, greatly easing the strain on landfills.

More than a friendly competition, it is a plan with a purpose.

"We're looking for ways to generate more interest in recycling," Ohio University Refuse and Recycling Manager Ed Newman said. "About 70 percent of waste on campus is generated by residence halls and dining halls," so we've decided to target these two areas first. The underlying purpose is to bring more attention to recycling and energy conservation."

Recycling addresses serious environmental and economic concerns, and it is hoped that members of the campus community will jump on and stay on the recycling bandwagon.

"From its inception, Recyclemania seemed like an excellent way of breaking away from the usual routes of communicating the ideals of responsible solid waste management, which is admittedly a subject that doesn't jump to the top of most people's lists as something to get excited about by itself," Newman added.