April 25, 2024

UMW Hosts Shred Event for RecycleMania 2015

Demonstrating a continuous commitment to sustainability, the University of Mary Washington will host a community shred event for confidential document disposal as part of RecycleMania 2015 on Tuesday, March 3.   12_bell tower (4)The recycling event is open to local businesses and area residents in addition to UMW faculty, staff and students. Community members may deliver their materials to the William Street parking lot on Tuesday, March 3 beginning at 10 a.m. Materials will be accepted until 1 p.m. or when shredding capacity has been reached. There is a five box limit per vehicle. The shred event is a part of UMW’s participation in RecycleMania 2015, an annual eight-week tournament during which colleges and universities across the country compete to reduce, reuse and recycle on-campus waste. More than 390 schools will participate this year, representing 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. “You can make a difference with small actions,” said Joni Wilson, director of landscape and grounds. “The significance of waste reduction is often overlooked, but when you see statistics like ‘one-third of food produced for consumption is wasted each year,’ you see how it’s an important effort.” UMW currently ranks sixth in the international per capita competition with 6.27 pounds of recycled material per person, placing first in Virginia for the past two years. In 2014, UMW finished fourth nationally, collecting 244,944 total pounds of recycled material that placed the school 74th out of 336 schools for the gross weight of recyclables. For more information about the shred event and UMW’s sustainability efforts, visit sustainability.umw.edu/policies-and-practices/recycling9/recyclemania/annual-shred-event/ or contact Joni Wilson at jwilson@umw.edu.

2015 UMW RecycleMania Shred Event

recycle mania logoRecycling is an essential component of UMW’s commitment to sustainability. On Tuesday, March 3, as a part of RecycleMania 2015, we will host a Community Shred Event for confidential document disposal, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., in the William Street lot. Access complete instructions and pick-up schedule at:

http://sustainability.umw.edu/initiatives/waste-reduction/recycling9/recyclemania/annual-shred-event/

Important dates for UMW:

Wednesday, Feb. 25          Submit a Work Request for pick-up by 4 p.m. The Work Request must include:

  1. Material amounts (estimated number of boxes or bags)
  2. Location
  3. Responsible person: Person on site to verify the correct materials, we will not pick-up materials without             verification

Monday, March 2            Landscape and Grounds staff will provide pick-up of materials according to schedule. RM-3                                                        Records Destruction form must be taped to materials.

Materials:Materials must be in boxes or bags, boxes will not be returned.

ACCEPTED: office paper-based material, small metal fasteners such as paperclips and staples

REMOVE: 3-ring binders, hardcover books, newspapers, magazines, plastic objects, metal objects or electronic media such as CDs and DVDs.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           FREDERICKSBURG COMMUNITY:

The UMW Shred Event is open to local businesses and area residents. They may deliver their materials to the William Street lot on Tuesday, March 3. There is a 5 box limit per vehicle. Materials will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. or the truck is full whichever occurs first.

Questions about the event can be directed to Joni Wilson, Director Landscape and Grounds at jwilson@umw.edu

UMW Places Fourth in International “RecycleMania”

The University of Mary Washington finished fourth nationally and, for the second consecutive year, placed first in Virginia in the annual RecyleMania competition. The top-10 finish came among 330 schools in the “per capita” category that measures the percentage of recyclables per person.

Students and faculty  used 2-liter plastic bottles to create a community garden greenhouse. Photo courtesy of the UMW Ecology Club.

Students and faculty used 2-liter plastic bottles to create a community garden greenhouse. Photo courtesy of the UMW Ecology Club.

The annual eight-week RecycleMania Tournament raises awareness of the importance of recycling and waste reduction at colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada with a competition based on how much recycling, trash and food waste schools collect. A total of 461 schools participated this year, representing more than 5.3 million students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

UMW also participated in the “gorilla” category, which measures the gross weight of combined recyclables, and ranked 74th out of 336 schools with 244,944 total pounds recycled.

UMW’s recycling efforts resulted in a greenhouse gas reduction of 343 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or 67 cars removed from the road, or the energy consumption of 30 households, according to UMW Director of Landscape and Grounds Joni Wilson.

“UMW students, faculty and staff should be very proud of their part,” Wilson said. “It takes a lot of work from volunteers and staff to not only collect the 244,944 pounds of recycling but to report and track the statistics as well.”

The complete results for all 11 categories can be found on http://recyclemania.org, including a breakdown of how schools performed by athletic conference, institution size and state.

2014 UMW RecycleMania Shred Event

Recycling is an essential component of UMW’s commitment to sustainability.  On Tuesday, March 4, as a part of RecycleMania 2014, we will host a Community Shred Event for confidential document disposal, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the William Street lot.  To access complete instructions and pick-up schedule, go to http://sustainability.umw.edu/initiatives/waste-reduction/recycling9/recyclemania/annual-shred-event. The date for the Shred Event has changed from March 6, which is now a UMW holiday.

Please note these important dates:

Friday, Feb. 28   A work request must be submitted by 4 p.m. and include:

  1. Material amounts (estimated number of boxes or bags)
  2. Location
  3. Responsible person: Person on site to verify the correct materials, we will not pick-up materials without  verification

Monday, March 3   Landscape and Grounds staff will pick up materials according to schedule.
RM-3 Records Destruction form must be taped to materials.

Materials must be in boxes or bags, boxes will not be returned.

Items accepted include:  Office paper-based material, small metal fasteners such as paperclips and staples

Please remove 3-ring binders, hardcover books, newspapers, magazines, plastic objects, metal objects or electronic media such as CDs and DVDs.

The UMW Shred Event also is open to local businesses and area residents who may deliver their materials to the William Street lot on Tuesday, March 4. There is a 5-box limit per vehicle. Materials will be accepted between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., or until the truck is full, whichever occurs first.

If you have questions about the event, contact Joni Wilson, director of Landscape and Grounds at jwilson@umw.edu.

RecycleMania Returns to UMW, Through March 29

Beginning this week through March 29, the University of Mary Washington will join colleges and universities across the country in RecycleMania, an annual eight-week competition to reduce, reuse and recycle on-campus waste. More than 450 schools will participate this year, representing all 50 states and three Canadian provinces.

Director of Landscape and Grounds Joni Wilson shows off a recycled bike. The bike is making its debut on campus as part of RecycleMania.

Director of Landscape and Grounds Joni Wilson shows off a recycled bike. The bike is making its debut on campus as part of RecycleMania. Photo courtesy of Andrea Livi-Smith.

This year is UMW’s sixth time in the Per Capita Classic Competition category, which measures the percentage of recycled materials per person.

In 2013, UMW ranked first place within Virginia, and 12th overall in the competition category.

To earn first place, UMW recycled 37.544 pounds of materials per person over eight weeks, which is equivalent to more than 200,000 pounds of recyclables kept out of landfills. The 182 metric tons of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere through recycling equaled the equivalent of taking 97 cars off the road.

“RecycleMania is a fun way to bring attention to campus recycling,” said Joni Wilson, director of landscape and grounds.

Throughout the competition, self-proclaimed “RecycleManiacs” will visit residence halls to collect recyclables and will recognize students and faculty for their recycling efforts on campus. On Thursday, March 6, UMW will hold its annual Shred Event starting at 10 a.m. in the William Street parking lot. Faculty, staff, students and members of the Fredericksburg community are invited to shred their confidential documents for free.

On March 11, students and faculty will use 2-liter plastic bottles to continue a community garden greenhouse. Photo courtesy of the UMW Ecology Club.

On March 11, students and faculty will use 2-liter plastic bottles to continue a community garden greenhouse. Photo courtesy of the UMW Ecology Club.

On Tuesday, March 11, UMW will use recycled bottle caps to create an 8-by-4-foot mosaic and plastic 2-liter bottles to create a community garden greenhouse on Ball Circle.

UMW’s year-round recycling categories of cardboard, mixed paper and co-mingled glass, aluminum and plastics will remain the same during the competition. Statistics and weekly recycling data will be published throughout the competition at http://recyclemaniacs.org/.

RecycleMania Kicks Off February 4th

Starting on Monday, Feb. 4, the University of Mary Washington will join colleges and universities across the country in RecycleMania, an annual eight-week competition to reduce, reuse and recycle the most on-campus waste. More than 600 schools are participating this year, representing all 50 states as well as five Canadian provinces.

This year marks UMW’s fifth time in the Per Capita Classic Competition category, which measures the percentage of recycled materials per person on campus.

For the GAP Bin Palmeri Plazanext eight weeks UMW’s recycling efforts will be monitored by members of the Ecology Club and RecycleMania volunteers. The entire campus community can participate by committing to green practices.

UMW’s year-round recycling categories of cardboard, mixed paper and co-mingled glass, aluminum and plastics will remain the same during the competition. More information about what can and cannot be recycled at UMW can be found at http://sustainability.umw.edu/recycling/.

Recycling receptacles at UMW offices are included in campus recycling. Faculty and staff are encouraged to verify that office recycling bins are properly labeled and to contact the Work Management System for bins and labels if needed.

Last year UMW won first place in Virginia and 18th in the overall competition by recycling 37.96 pounds of materials per person over eight weeks, which is equivalent to more than 200,000 pounds of recyclables kept out of landfills. The 182 metric tons of CO2 kept out of the atmosphere through recycling equaled the equivalent of taking 97 cars off the road.

“RecycleMania  is about more than winning,” said Joni Wilson, director of landscape and grounds. “It is an opportunity for us to raise awareness about recycling programs and sustainability issues in general.”

Statistics and weekly recycling data will be published throughout the competition at http://recyclemaniacs.org/.

For more information about the sustainability efforts and programs at UMW, visit http://sustainability.umw.edu/ or contact sustainability@umw.edu.

UMW Places in Top 20 in RecycleMania Competition

The University of Mary Washington has finished first in Virginia and 18th overall in the annual RecycleMania competition. RecycleMania is an eight-week recycling competition among colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada designed to promote waste reduction practices in campus communities. This year, UMW was one of 338 schools in the Per Capita Classic Competition, using the percentage of recycled materials per person.

To earn 18th place, UMW recycled 37.96 pounds of materials per person in eight weeks, the equivalent of more than 200,000 pounds of materials kept out of landfills.

To learn more about sustainability initiatives, read the full story from Monday, April 16.

Recyclemania in Full Swing at UMW

The results of week two of RECYCLEMANIA are official — our ranking is 16th in the international competition and second in Virginia, with Virginia Wesleyan College having the lead.

Our combined weight is 9.90 pounds of recycling per person. This is equivalent to 48 metric tons of CO2 or 25 cars off the road, or the energy consumption of 13 households. For more information, visit http://recyclemaniacs.org/.

Message from Joni Wilson, director of landscape and grounds

Shred Event on Tuesday, March 29

UMW is in the seventh week of RecycleMania 2011, an annual recycling competition among colleges across the country, and there has been a dramatic increase of recycled materials collected on campus since the competition began. Through the week of March 18th, UMW collected 8,532.5 pounds of recyclable materials.
Dre Anthes, assistant dean of admissions, is organizing the UMW Shred Event for March 29, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Faculty, staff, students, and the Fredericksburg community are invited to bring boxed, confidential items to the parking lots on the Stafford campus and William Street at Sunken Road to be shredded. Anthes organized the community-wide shred event to help boost UMW recycling numbers during RecycleMania. Anthes is encouraging colleagues “to shred old student files that have been sitting in a storage for years, simply because we now have this opportunity to dispose of these items properly, at no cost to us.”
PROSHRED, a professional mobile shredding company has donated time to the UMW event. Materials collected by PROSHRED will be taken to a recycling center for baling and then transferred to a paper mill — most likely Capitol Fiber in Springfield for pulping,” according to PROSHRED worker Steve Theobald.