Bentley kicked off the 2011 RecycleMania Tournament in February. During the eight-week national recycling contest, Bentley competes against approximately 630 schools from across the country in the following recycling and waste reduction categories:

Grand Champion: Highest diversion rate (tons of material recycled compared to tons trashed)

Per Capita Classic: Largest amount of recyclables per person

Waste Minimization: Least amount of solid waste generated per person -- including both recyclables and trash -- focused on the "reduce and reuse" parts of the "3Rs" (reduce, reuse, recycle)

The Gorilla Prize - Highest gross tonnage of recyclables regardless of campus population size

Bentley faculty, staff and students participate in RecycleMania by reducing and reusing as much material as possible; recycling items that cannot be reused; and generating as little trash as possible.

Through April 2, the Office of Sustainability will submit weekly totals detailing the amount of material recycled and trash generated (in tons) to RecycleMania organizers who track Bentley's performance against other schools. Last year, the university placed second among participating Northeast-10 schools for both the Gorilla Prize and the Per Capita Classic.

Look for bi-weekly e-mail updates on recycling performance, and check out weekly standings on the Bentley Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/bentleyofficeofsustainability) and via Twitter (@GreenBentley)