Revisions For the 2008 RecycleMania Competition

Each year following the competition, the RecycleMania Steering Committee sits down with staff to evaluate how things went and consider any changes necessary for the following year. As RecycleMania continues to increase in size it is periodically necessary to make changes to ensure the competition retains as close to a level playing field as possible. Following the 2007 competition participants were surveyed for the feedback. The Steering Committee used that feedback and its own observations to make the following changes to the rules for 2008. Any questions regarding the rules or these changes can be directed to the helpline, (843) 278 7686 or recyclemania@nrc-recycle.org.

Changes to the Rules and Categories

• Rankings: Whole Campuses and Subsets
  
  For the first time this year, schools signing up only a subset of their campus will compete and be ranked separately from whole campuses. Each category, from the Per Capita Classic to Food Service Organics will have two parallel rankings side by side, with separate awards for each. In other words, there will be one Per Capita Classic Award for whole campuses and another for campus subsets. All subsets regardless of how they are defined will be combined together.
  
  The purpose of this change is to allow schools competing with their entire campus to have a consistent institutional standard to compare by.
  
  
• North American Competition
  
  RecycleMania is open to all degree-granting institutions of higher education in North America.
  
  
• Determining FTE Population
  
  FTE populations will be measured differently depending on whether a school registers as an entire campus or a subset. Campus subsets will continue to use the existing system whereby student and employee populations must be supplied during the registration period. Schools outside the United States will similarly track their FTE population the same way.
  
  Whole campuses within the United States will have their FTE population determined using figures supplied by the school to the federal Department of Education (DOE)’s IPEDS program (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). All schools in the United States are required by law to supply certain data to the DOE, including student and employee population, according to audited standards. This information in turn is made public on the IPEDS website. RecycleMania will gather participating school’s FTE directly from IPEDS and use this data to determine per capita rankings. Schools will see their FTE population as reported to the DOE when they register for the competition.
  
  This change was instituted to bring a single standard of determining populations to the per capita rankings. FTE populations can be determined in various ways making an apples to apples comparison difficult without a unifying standard. The IPEDS program does not allow FTE population to be tracked for campus subsets or schools outside the United States.
  
  
• Measurement Standards
  
  Actual Weights vs. Estimates: Schools may continue to report using actual weights or estimates based on volume conversions. Beginning this year, however, estimates for segregated materials must be based on EPA volume-to-weight conversion factors. Where materials can only be tracked in co-mingled form (including single stream collections), schools will need to perform a sample audit to determine the rough percentage of each type of material and use this to generate an appropriate reporting numbers. Multipliers are not be permitted for factoring in “missing” weights for any material. All weights and estimates must be based on the actual weight of the material as it would otherwise cross a tipping scale.
  
  US Standard and Metric System: Starting in 2008, schools may report or sort weights using either US Standard measurements or the Metric system.
  
  Verifying Numbers: RecycleMania administrators may request additional information about the methodologies used to derive weights estimates and population figures. Where numbers are thought to be inaccurate, participants will be consulted and may be asked to alter them. In extreme situations, RecycleMania administrators reserve the right to remove participants from specific categories if agreement cannot be reached on appropriate numbers.
  
  
• Food Service Organics
  
  Food waste must be tracked according to its actual or estimated actual weight. Multipliers are not permitted for adding moisture removed by pulping systems. All food waste must be reported in the form it would otherwise cross a tipping scale.
  
  
• Grand Champion
  
  This category is unchanged.
  
  
• Per Capita Classic
  
  This category has been renamed in honor of Stephen K. Gaski, an early supporter of RecycleMania at its founding in 2001.
  
  
• Waste Minimization
  
  RecycleMania is partnering with the Presidents Climate Commitment to make the Waste Minimization category an approved step that may be credited in a school’s action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to reporting waste and recycling weights, participating schools will be required to identify three specific waste reduction practices they intend to implement. Schools can either choose from a standard list or submit their own practices.
  
  
• Code of Conduct
  
  RecycleMania administrators reserve the right to remove participants from the competition for unsportsmanlike conduct.
  
  

Changes to the Website

• US Standard Measurement and Metric System
  
  Starting in 2008, schools may report or sort weights using either US Standard measurements or the Metric system. Schools will be prompted during registration to identify which standard they intend to report under. Rankings will be posted to the website in both standards.
  
  
• Prior-Year Comparisons
  
  Schools that participated in the 2007 competition will have the ability to compare their weekly weights and ranking position against the previous year in those categories in which they have registered both years. The comparative ranking will be available to view on each school’s profile page. Past year comparisons are not available for 2006 or previous years.
  
  
• Custom Ranking Option
  
  Schools will have the ability to pre-select those schools against whom they would like to benchmark and create a custom “peer conference” which they can use to track their rankings. Following the close of registration, schools will be invited to view and select from a full list of current participants. Throughout the competition they will be able to sort the weekly rankings to view their standings against these schools.