JESSIE GAMBRELL
STAFF WRITER

In this year’s Recyclemania competition, CSUSM failed to reach its goal of a first place victory for the eighth time.

Recyclemania is a 10-week competition that ended on March 31. It was conceived in 2001 at Ohio University and Miami University in an effort to encourage colleges and schools to recycle more. Since its conception, it has grown to the point that over 600 schools, including universities, colleges, community schools and even some schools in Canada, compete each year.

There are two weeks of “practice” for new schools to see how well they do on the program. Then the real competition lasts for eight weeks. The school with the highest percentage of recycling waste products wins.

We have housed the Recyclemania trophy in the Dome in a glass case these past seven years, but this year, it will have to go to the home of the 2012 first place winners: American University in Washington D.C.

Our school joined in on the competition in 2005, competing against 45 other campus and coming in first place. Ever since, we have competed every year, continuously coming in first place, except for this year.

CSUSM, being such a young school, was built to support the “conservation” style, allowing the new faculty and administrative staff to endorse the whole idea of recycling, which has helped the university to win seven years in a row.

“We started recycling in general in 1992 when the school doors opened. We are looking at the next generation. The goal is to serve the communities,” CSUSM Recycling Program Coordinator, Carl Hanson said.