This year could mark a decade of Youngstown State University defending its number one ranking in the state of Ohio when it comes to a national annual recycling competition.

YSU has ranked number one statewide for nine consecutive years and students and staff said they take pride in this and are pushing to get the message out as January 31st marks the first day of the 2022 competition.

"Being a part of this community that takes itself so seriously when it comes to recycling..." YSU student Caleb Ellison said, "It's a pride that's highly honored as a recycling campus."

It's called 'Campus Race to Zero waste' and over 400 colleges in the country participate. This year, the competition at YSU is aimed at "catching students green-handed."

"Being a part of a campus that takes recycling very seriously means a lot to me," YSU student Donquail Mims said. 

YSU ranked 10th place in the entire country last year and between 2010 and 2020, YSU has recycled 1.4 million materials.

"We started participating in 2004, so this is a major milestone for us to compete this year," Dan Kuzma, Manager of YSU's recycling program said. 

To participate, students can find recycle bins in campus buildings to toss in their plastics, cans and paper.

The big focus this year is not just recycling but reducing waste.

"Especially single-use plastics in the form of beverage bottles, so we're looking to catch students green-handed at the water bottle refill stations all throughout campus,"  Kuzma said. 

If students are caught green-handed, they have a chance to get free passes for kayak or paddleboard trips and lessons, but students said it's not about the prizes, but more about the passion they have for going green.

"For me, it's more than just prizes," Mims said, "It's about being a part of something bigger here on campus."

The competition is managed by the National Wildlife Federation and YSU measures the number of materials using a volume to weight formula.

The competition goes until March 26th.