The project was piloted through a partnership between Coca-Cola and NUS, who have worked together for 20 years through NUS’ purchasing consortium and have a long track record in working constructively on ethical and environmental issues of concern to students.

By 2025 Coca-Cola aims to ensure all its packaging is recycled so that none of it ends up as litter or in the oceans – and part of this is using the reach of the Coca-Cola brands to inspire everyone to recycle. That’s why they’re funding this piece of work.

The competition is a branch of the RecycleMania program that was established in the U.S. in 2001. RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programmes to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. RecycleMania is governed by a U.S. non-profit 501c (3) organization called RecycleMania, Inc. and is made up of a board of directors who are recycling and sustainability professionals from a variety of participating universities and community organizations. National Wildlife Federation is the manager of the RecycleMania Program, and works in partnership with RecycleMania, Inc.

We’re really grateful to the shared learning and generosity of resources that RecycleMania, Inc and the National Wildlife Federation – their expertise has helped us design the pilot and avoid some rookie errors!