The University of Wisconsin’s recycling bins are overflowing with notebooks, soda cans and take-out boxes.

In an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle, 18 UW schools are joining Madison and 606 colleges and universities across the globe, including UW-Platteville, for RecycleMania — an international competition to maximize recycling while minimizing waste.

According to Robert Cramer, assistant chancellor for Administrative Services at UW-Platteville, RecycleMania is a 10-week competition where campuses measure and record the amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least trash per capita and the highest overall recycling rate.

The contest began Sunday, Jan. 17, and ends Saturday, March 27.

Lea Zeise, the student director of RecycleMania for the UW campus said the contest measures the percentage of recycled material out of total waste on campus.

Before any outreach for the program was made on campus, Zeise said the normal amount of what UW recycles is 27 percent out of total waste.

During the contest, the amount of recycled waste versus regular waste will be monitored weekly. There will also be new recycling bins around campus and outreach and education on the goals of RecycleMania will begin on campus this week, Zeise said.

Zeise said last year only housing competed in the competition, and this year it is a campus wide ordeal.

There is no cash prize for the winner of the contest, only bragging rights and a trophy made of recycled products, Zeise said.

UW-Platteville, while not competing in the competition, is also participating.

“Our main goal is to increase awareness among students, staff and faculty,” Cramer said. “It shows us exactly how much we are consuming, whether it’s recycled or thrown out, and helps our campus realize the importance of recycling.”

Faherty Incorporated is a family-run recycling, waste collection and transfer station that has teamed up with UW-Platteville in its recycling campaign.

According to Ian McGregor, a member of UW-Platteville’s Green Campus student organization and RecycleMania task force, UW-Platteville is in the benchmarking division of the competition for its first year.

McGregor said they are using this year as a “trial year,” focusing on reducing the waste in campus buildings.

McGregor added the campaign is going fantastically so far, and they plan on entering the entire campus in the competition division next year.

Ed Faherty, owner of Faherty Incorporated, said although the campus is only in its second week of the competition they are already seeing positive results.

The campus saw a 40 percent weekly recycling rate in its second week, about a 3 percent increase from the 37 percent they saw in week one, according to Faherty.

Cramer said, like many other campuses across the state, UW-Platteville is looking at other ways to become more sustainable by saving energy anywhere they can.

“People need to realize the impact they have,” McGregor said. “RecycleMania will help increase the responsibility and knowledge of students and faculty, and ultimately reduce our impact as a campus community.”