Stanford took action against campus waste during winter quarter, resulting in a strong finish in RecycleMania, a national competition aimed at increasing recycling and composting and reducing landfilling. During February and March, a record number of students, staff, and faculty pledged to recycle at tabling events and through email campaigns. Tours of the Stanford Recycling Center, BeWell Berry–eligible trainings, and two recycling-themed basketball games were also organized to raise awareness around the importance of properly sorting waste at Stanford. For the first time, the basketball games included composting services in the stadium, as well as energetic student participation. These efforts helped to realize an all-time high diversion rate of 20%.

At the end of the eight-week competition, Stanford placed in the top 10 in five of the eight competition categories, including a second-place finish among 302 schools in the large-institution category. This was Stanford’s 10th consecutive year participating in RecycleMania.