YSU Recycling

Youngstown State University’s recycling program has a lot to brag about, with a first-place finish in the state of Ohio and a 21st place finish overall in the 2017 RecycleMania competition.

YSU is one of 18 Ohio schools that participate in the eight-week contest. RecycleMania challenges colleges and universities across the United States and Canada to compete to see who can reduce, reuse and recycle the most on-campus waste.

“YSU’s recycling rate of 61 percent is well above the national average (approx. 35 percent),” said Dan Kuzma, manager of YSU’s recycling programs. “To reach that benchmark, the university saved 201,136 pounds – or about 100 tons of recyclables – from ending up in the landfill during the eight-week campaign.”

In the state, Ohio State University placed a distant second with a recycling rate of 53 percent, followed by Stark State at 49 percent, Dayton at 46 percent, Baldwin Wallace at 40 percent and Kent State at 36 percent.

“The YSU Recycling Program is a model for other institutions,” stated Kuzma. “Our program has been used as a standard for hospitals, prisons and other colleges and universities in Ohio.”

He credits his student employees for the program’s award-winning recycling numbers. “We wouldn’t have the success that we do without our students. They are very knowledgeable, and they do a fantastic job interacting with faculty, staff and students. The best part is, at the end of each shift, they can quantify the impact they made.”

The YSU Recycling Program, formed in 2000 in collaboration with the Mahoning County Solid Waste Management “Green Team,” began competing in RecycleMania during the 2004-05 academic year.

“The RecycleMania campaign is a fun way to engage the campus community between winter and spring, a time of the year that can be a little slow,” said Kuzma. “To get people excited about the campaign, we randomly distribute prizes to individuals on campus that are caught ‘green-handed,’ in the act of recycling.”

YSU’s comprehensive recycling program resulted in 819 tons of recycling materials in 2016, a recycling diversion rate of 66 percent. That’s equal to the amount of energy it takes to run nearly 490 cars for an entire year or the amount of electricity it takes to run nearly 320 homes for an entire year.

In addition to paper, print publications, cardboard, cans and bottles, YSU also recycles obsolete computers and electronics, toner cartridges, batteries, tires, pallets and scrap metal. Kuzma said the university also composts organics, such as food and yard waste.

The 2018 RecycleMania competition is scheduled to begin in February.