UNLV & REPUBLIC SERVICES TO COMPETE IN THE
BASKETBALL GAME DAY RECYCLING CHALLENGE
University and recycling partner will be competing
with college campuses throughout the country to see which school recycles the
most at a basketball game
Boise State won’t be the only school UNLV will be battling at Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, March 5. UNLV and its recycling partner, Republic Services, will be taking on schools across the country in Recyclemania’s Basketball Game Day Challenge.
UNLV is partnering with Republic Services and student volunteers to collect recyclables at the game. Students wearing green designated “I’m A Rebel I Recycle” shirts will be collecting recyclables throughout the Thomas & Mack Center concourse during and following the game, which begins at 7 p.m. To help build the excitement and support for the challenge, patrons entering Thomas & Mack Center will receive a green “Hey Reb” mustache to wear during the game.
The commingled recyclables and the garbage will be weighed and the results will be reported to Recyclemania. Republic Services is the official sponsor of the basketball game and has worked with UNLV to train volunteers to help optimize the diversion rate during the game.
“We have a great partnership with Republic Services and are happy to be able to participate in events like these where we compete against other universities, while also making a difference in the community at the same time,” said Jim Livengood, UNLV’s Director of Athletics. “We have had success in the past with similar competitions and we are proud to team up again for the Basketball Game Day Challenge.”
The competition is happening on the heels of UNLV’s and Republic Services’ successful participation in the College Football Game Day Challenge. In that competition, UNLV finished on top in the Green House Gas Reduction Category, finished in the top five in the categories of diversion rate (third place), organics reduction (first place), recycling champion (third place) and greenhouse gas reduction (second place). The University was the only school in the country to place within the top five in all categories.
For the basketball competition, schools will report their weights following the game and be ranked in three game day categories:
o Waste Generation – Schools are ranked based on who has the least amount of combined trash and recycling.
o Diversion rate – Schools are ranked based on who has the highest recycling as a percentage of total trash and recycling.
o Per Capita Recycling – Schools are ranked based on the total amount of recycling collected on a per capita basis.
Winner announcements and overall rankings will be presented at the end of the tournament in early April.
“Not only is the competition a great way to get students and the community involved and engaged in recycling, it also proves to be a valuable method to optimize how much waste is diverted from the landfill,” said Republic Services Area President Tim Powell.
Through their efforts in the Football Game Day Challenge, UNLV and Republic were able to divert 56 percent of the waste generated at the game from the landfill by recycling 13,033 pounds of material and composting: 1,139 pounds of food waste and compostable plates, napkins and utensils.
The competition is open to any college or university in the United States with a basketball program. The challenge is for schools to design a waste reduction plan for one 2013 regular season home basketball game and measure the results. Schools can collect common materials for recycling including paper, beverage containers, cardboard, and food to be donated and composted. The amount of waste generated and recycled will determine which school is the greenest on the court.
More information on the Game Day Challenge: http://recyclemaniacs.org/gamedaybasketball