If recycling was an athletic event in the Mid-American Conference, Ohio University would be the champion.
After eight weeks of recycling, OU came out as one of the first place schools in the MAC competition for Recyclemania.
By the end of the competition, which officially began February 3, OU recycled 425,591 pounds of material, placing 42nd in the Gorilla competition, which is based on total pounds recycled.
OU placed 109th in the Grand Champion competition, which measures the total rate of recycling.
“We were very successful, and regardless of if we won every category or met every goal, it still shows that we're moving in the right direction and making significant strides,” said Andrew Ladd, refuse and recycling manager.
However, OU’s overall recycling rate of 31.278 percent was down from last year’s rate, 43.79 percent.
Around week six of Recyclemania, Facilities and student volunteers installed a temporary art structure on the Howard Hall site constructed with over 10,000 cubic feet of plastic bottles.
Ladd said that he plans to continue documenting the progress of OU’s recycling at the Howard Hall site in the future in order to remind students and faculty of the importance of recycling.
“I’m very pleased with the amount of recycling that happens on campus,” Ladd said.
