“DEP is excited to recognize a number of Pennsylvania’s universities and colleges for their tremendous efforts to make recycling a way of life,” Secretary Hess says.
“I’m proud of the students who took part in the RUSH to Recycle. It was a fun, spirited competition. But more importantly, it has many young people thinking about recycling, and that’s important for our environment in the years ahead.”
The 2002 RUSH to Recycle Challenge was a competition among 19 Pennsylvania colleges and universities from Oct. 7 through Nov. 30, designed to promote recycling. Students worked hard to see how much recyclable materials they could collect on their respective campuses.
Penn State University’s main campus in Centre County was the overall winner, with 429.52 tons of trash collected for recycling. The other top finishers were Carnegie Mellon University of Allegheny County (second place) with 143.3 tons collected and Villanova University of Delaware County (third place) with 101.43 tons of recyclables collected.
In the category for schools that already had an existing recycling program on their campuses, the winners were Temple University’s Ambler Campus in Montgomery County with a 268-percent increase in recycling, The University of Scranton in Lackawanna County with a 196-percent increase, and Swarthmore College of Delaware County with a 136-percent increase in recycling.
“Not only was this challenge a lot of fun, I’m sure our student body has developed recycling habits that will last a lifetime,” Temple University Ambler Campus student and challenge participant Mike Piper says. “I know I appreciate the importance of recycling now more than ever.”
Pennsylvania’s Recycle Team, a group of cartoon-like characters who together spell the word “recycle,” was an integral part of the Rush to Recycle challenge, as the team toured the state to promote recycling education and recycling awareness at colleges and universities.
Since the Recycling Team was formally introduced, they have visited 23 counties, 12 school districts and seven universities. The team has participated in 48 events, including sporting competitions, holiday celebrations and local festivals.
For more information about Pennsylvania’s Recycle Team and its activities, visit the PA PowerPort at www.state.pa.us, PA Keyword: “recycle team.”