VMI Launches RecycleMania Effort

Cadets (from left) Gabriel Dongieux ’12, Chase Barnett ’14, and Daniel Aguirre ’14 prepare electronics for shipment to a recycling facility. – VMI Photo by John Robertson IV.

LEXINGTON, Va., Feb. 6, 2012 -- VMI kicked off RecycleMania efforts last weekend, when cadets worked alongside Maj. Jenny deHart, sustainability coordinator, in sorting, inventorying, and preparing electronics for shipment to an electronics recycling facility.

Recyclable electronics include computers, monitors, TVs, and small appliances. The electronics will be broken down at the recycling facility, and their elements recycled, including the various metal, plastic, and glass components.

The items will count toward VMI’s totals in the electronics category, which is new to the RecycleMania competition this year.

VMI will also invite the post community and area residents to contribute their unusable electronics during the first E-Cycling Day at the former Kmart garden center March 3 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The cadets are going to be very instrumental in the electronics recycling,” said deHart. “We need people to record serial numbers, model numbers, quantity, and things like that, so we’re going to have all hands on deck.”

Another event, meant to raise awareness during RecycleMania, is the Go Green Game on Feb. 18 in Cameron Hall, which will feature recycling-themed basketball halftime activities.

RecycleMania sorts entries in several ways, including overall weight recycled and weight recycled per capita. The results are also divided by material, including aluminum, glass, cardboard, and electronics.

Entities responsible for tracking materials recycled and total waste include physical plant crews, the city of Lexington, the cardboard recycling company, and cadets who manage recyclables in barracks.

Cadet Ben Sykes ’13, cadet in charge of the Recycling Club, is in charge of the recycling efforts in barracks.

“Because we’re a small school, obviously the quantity isn’t going to be there, but per capita we’re going to place pretty high I think,” said Sykes.

--John Robertson IV

--VMI--