The University of Virginia kicked off their eight-week recycling competition Thursday.
RecycleMania matches over 500 universities against each other to measure how schools handle waste, with categories that range from total recycling to waste reduction.
Thursday, student volunteers took to the McIntire amphitheater to make students aware of how their participation helps maintain greener grounds.
RecycleMania student organizer, Erin Webb says, "UVA has a great recycling program, it's been around since the 90s which is a lot different than other universities. In addition, we hand sort our recycled materials."
This year the university hopes to improve in the category of waste minimization.
