2011 RecycleMania Tournament

Berkeley College students, staff, and faculty joined together to reduce waste during the RecycleMania competition February 6 - April 2, 2011.

Berkeley College joined more than 600 colleges across the country to reduce waste and increase recycling in the 11th annual RecycleMania Tournament. According to RecycleMania organizers, this year's efforts resulted in the recovery of "91 million pounds of recyclables and organic materials, which prevented the release of nearly 270 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E). This reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 52.8 million passenger cars; electricity use of more than 32.7 million homes; or the burning of nearly 1.5 million railcars’ worth of coal."

The waste reduction and recycling measurements for each campus were combined and reported weekly to RecycleMania. The final results for Berkeley's first year in the competition, in the Benchmark Division, are as follows:

  • Berkeley increased recycling by 5.3%.
  • Berkeley recycled 7.84 pounds of material per person.
  • Berkeley recycled a total 45,554.5 pounds of material.
  • Berkeley recycled 4.55 pounds of cardboard per person.
  • Berkeley recycled 3.29 pounds of bottles and cans per person.

Congratulations to the Middlesex and Garret Mountain Campuses, Berkeley College RecycleMania Winners! In Berkeley's own inter-campus competition, the Middlesex Campus won for greatest increase in recycling (54%), and the Garret Mountain Campus won for greatest reduction in waste.