The UA is recycling about 45 percent less than during last year’s Recycle Mania.
The UA as a whole had recycled 483,444 pounds by week five last year. This year it has recycled 265,548 pounds.
Last year, the UA recycled 1,024,668 pounds during Recycle Mania and won fourth place in the Gorilla prize competition, which recognizes schools with the highest amount of recyclables by weight.
This year the UA is ranked 25th out of 343 universities.
But this ranking might not be as dismal as it appears.
According to the Recycle Mania Web site, the UA has recycled 171,768 pounds marking it at 25. However, according to its week-by-week results, the UA has recycled 265,548, which should put the UA in seventh instead of 25th place.
The Gorilla prize counts what the entire campus recycles during Recycle Mania as opposed to just the residence halls. Last year was the UA’s first year competing for the Gorilla prize. Before that, only the residence halls’ recycling totals were counted during the event.
Andrea Alley, an elementary education sophomore who lives in La Paz Residence Hall, said that she had not heard about Recycle Mania.
Alley said she gets so many flyers, it’s hard to stay aware and keep track.
Susie Bishara, a family studies and human development junior, said she thought recycling on campus is easy.
Bishara said she recycles both on and off campus but was unaware Recycle Mania involves the entire campus and not just the residence halls.
Recycle Mania will end on March 27. The UA needs to recycle 759,120 more pounds by then to match last year’s numbers.