Campus Race to Zero Waste

 

ECU will be actively participating in the Campus Race to Zero Waste (CR2ZW) competition, formerly known as RecycleMania, in February and March 2025. The Campus Race to Zero Waste is a more than just a competition.  CR2ZW is a tool to help colleges and universities advance campus recycling and waste reduction efforts by galvanizing the student body and getting students involved with sustainability efforts.

Reasons to Participate:

Categories:

  • Per Capita Recycling – Campus Wide Totals reported on a weekly basis.
  • Food Organics – Food waste and any organic materials handled alongside total food waste reported. Organics generated in office and campus residential settings and special events can be included in addition to what is collected from dining facilities.
  • Gameday Diversion – Home Basketball Game in mid-February where we will recruit volunteers to work at zero waste stations, handout “Beat Trash” stickers and other green giveaways, show a PeeDee recycling promo video on the big screen, and host a Halftime Recycling Game with fans competing.

Schedule:

Baseline Period: 

  • Week 1: Monday, January 20 through Sunday, January 26
  • Week 2: Monday, January 27 through Sunday, February 2

Competition Period:  Begins on Monday, February 3 and runs through Sunday, March 30

Unofficial Reports:  Posted online on Friday, April 18

Winners Announced:  Posted online on Tuesday, April 28

Weekly Results:

a bar graph showing waste diverted from the landfill through recycling and composting. Baseline Week 1: 6600 lbs. of cardboard, 3080 lbs. of mixed paper, 840 lbs. of comingled, and 1580 lbs. of food waste Baseline Week 2: 1200 lbs. of cardboard, 2260 lbs. of mixed paper, 260 lbs. of comingled, and 1480 lbs. of food waste Competition week 1: 7900 lbs. of cardboard, 4860 lbs. of mixed paper, 920 lbs. of comingled, and 1680 lbs. of food waste Comingled means a combination of plastic and metals materials Pre-consumer food waste from our dining halls is composted