Instead of being caught red-handed, each week 200 people will be caught green-handed.

University Dining, N.C. State Waste Reduction and Recycling, and Coca-Cola are partnering to sponsor “Caught Green-Handed.”  The initiative is a five-week program to promote and reward N.C. State students, faculty and staff for recycling, according to University Dining and Waste Reduction and Recycling. 

According to Kelley Brackett, public communication specialist for University Dining, this is the first year this initiative has happened.

“We have a street team that will, on certain days and certain locations, reward people who are recycling,” Brackett said.

Ariel Fugate, a student intern at the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, said the group promoted the event at Campout.

“We promoted the program this weekend at Campout by giving out 100 ‘Not Wasted’ t-shirts made from plastic bottles,” Fugate said.  ”We talked with students at Campout about the program and have been spreading word about it through Facebook and soon posters will be up around campus, the dining halls and residence halls.”

One day a week, the street time will give away prizes, according to Brackett.

Each winner will receive a Coca-Cola Contour Bottle Light-Up Pen, a Coca-Cola coupon for on-campus C-Stores, and an “I was caught green handed” sticker, according to Bracket and Fugate.

The street team will not be at any specific location on campus.

“We’re going to be all over campus,” Brackett said.  “They’re going to be on Centennial campus, the Brickyard, East Campus, everywhere.  We’re giving all of our Facebook fans a heads up as to where members of the Street Team will be.”

The majority of the members of the Street Team are students.

“Ariel Fugate headed up the Street Team,” Brackett said.  “Some members are from Student Government.  Everyone is assigned different areas of campus by Ariel.”

According to Fugate, the Street Team is made up of about 25 volunteers.

Brackett said the “Caught Green-Handed initiative goes hand in hand to increase waste reduction.

“This is a part of the nation-wide Recyclemania initiative,” Brackett said.  “Another goal is to beat UNC-Chapel Hill in another way.”

According to University Dining, the goal is to create a buzz about recycling around campus and, week-by-week, the campus community will begin recycling more in order to be caught.

The day of the week and approximate times will be announced via “NC State University Dining” and the “NC State Recycles” Facebook pages, according to Waste Reduction and Recycling.

University Dining will be at the Campout for UNC Tickets on January 15 to talk more about “Caught Green-Handed” and to give away Coca-Cola t-shirts and tote bags made from recycled bottles to students who are a fan of the two Facebook pages.

“Everyone loves to be rewarded for doing something good,” said Fugate.  “Caught Green-Handed will be a fun way to promote the simple actions we can take to make the NC State campus and the world a better place.”

According to the Waste Reduction and Recycling Website, the University currently diverts 45 percent of its waste from the landfill by recycling, reusing, and composting yard waste, with a goal to increase it to 65 percent by 2015. “Caught Green-Handed” is one of many partnerships University Dining has with WRR in to decrease waste at NC State, among those projects was University Dining’s composting program in the dining halls which began in Fall of 2010.