Introduction A Brief History of Recycling at Penn State We ve Been Recycling Longer than Your Residents Have Been Alive...

Transcription

1

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle There s No Time to Waste... 4 An Oldie, But a Goodie: The 3 R s... 5 Rethinking our Way to Zero Waste... 5 Tons of Penn Staters are Doing Tons of Recycling... 6 We Need You to Help Make Penn State a Better Place to Live... 7 What Goes Where: How to Recycle at University Park What goes in the Mixed Paper bin?... 8 What goes in the Newspaper bin?... 9 What goes in the Plastic bin? What goes in the Metal bin? What goes in the Glass bin? What goes in the Compost bin? What is Compost Anyway? Tech-Waste New Initiatives A Brief History of Recycling at Penn State We ve Been Recycling Longer than Your Residents Have Been Alive General Recycling Information 10 Steps to a Better Penn State Get Involved: Donate and Volunteer at Trash to Treasure Appendix

3 INTRODUCTION Introduction This Residence Hall Recycling Packet was created by the Office of Physical Plant, Housing and Food Services, Residence Life, and the Campus Sustainability Office to help you promote recycling, waste reduction and an environmentally friendly lifestyle in your Residence Hall or living situation. We hope that you will use this information to learn about the Penn State Recycling program and ways to support the University s waste reduction initiatives. Additional information on recycling and composting is available at If you would like to host a presentation on Penn State s recycling program, please contact Al Matyasovsky at aem3@psu.edu. For information on composting, contact Nadine Davitt at njh103@psu.edu. Printed on Recycled Paper This publication is available in alternative media upon request. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. 3

4 RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE There s No Time to Waste In 2011, University Park generated a total of more than 13,000 tons of waste. If we were to haul that much waste in a day, we would need a line-up of garbage trucks more than five miles long. All of this waste has to go somewhere. For a 41% of our waste, that place is the landfi ll. Unfortunately, landfi lls are not our best option for waste disposal. Organic waste decaying in landfi lls produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 20 times more effective in trapping heat than carbon dioxide. Noise, dust, and bio-aerosol emissions pollute the air. Waste in landfi lls may also contaminate groundwater and aquifers by leakage, contribute to soil contamination, and attract disease vectors such as rats and flies. Where Does My Waste Go? Landfill-bound trash generated at University Park is hauled 102 miles to Shade Landfill in Somerset County in trucks that get under 4 miles per gallon. What happens when you throw your waste away at University Park? 1. Technical service employees pick up trash from campus buildings and take it to the dumpsters outside. 2. Waste is collected and taken to the Centre County Transfer Center just past the Nittany Mall. 3. The waste is compacted and is trucked more than 102 miles to a landfill in Central City located in Somerset County. (At 3.5 miles/ gallon, this isn t exactly a model of efficiency). 4. Once at the landfill the trash is dumped into an immense depression that is sealed at the bottom. Penn State pays the Center $70 per ton to take the trash, a total cost of more than $378,000 in What happens when you put your waste in the bin labeled recycling at University Park? 1. Technical service employees pick up recycling from campus buildings and take it to dumpsters outside. 2. Recycling is collected and taken to the Barpitt, University Park s Recycling Center, where the materials are sorted for transport. 3. The sorted recyclables are transferred from campus and taken to the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority (CCRRA). 4. CCRRA further sorts the recyclables and bundles them for various markets. 5. The recyclables are sold and shipped to various markets Currently, University Park pays either $20 or $5 per ton to have the CCRRA process our recyclables, depending on whether the recyclables are delivered in bags ($20) or loose ($5). Some of this money is recaptured in the form of scholarships. 4

5 RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE An Oldie, But a Goody: The 3 R s The good news is that there are concrete steps to keep trash out of the landfi ll, and in all likelihood you already know some of them. The Three R s reduce, reuse, and recycle are time-tested steps to reducing our waste. The message of the three R s is more relevant than ever. Reduce Reuse Recycle What is it? Reducing consumption is process of waste minimization. The fewer items we buy and the more we keep them in use, the less we throw away. Reuse means to use a product again after its initial use, whether for the same purpose or in a new fashion. Recycling means processing otherwise used materials into new products. Recycling reduces demand on natural resources and eliminates severe environmental, economic, and public health problems. How Do I Do It? To reduce, think before you buy, share items with your neighbors, and take only what you need at mealtime. To reuse, try carrying your own bag, refilling your water bottle, shopping at thrift stores, and even bringing your own utensils to meals. Put items in the proper recycling bin. (The rest of this document will show you how!) Three New R s for New Challenges In addition to reduce, reuse, and recycle, there are three more R s that offer solutions to our trash dilemmas. They are repair, refuse, and rethink. Repair Repair means to set right, to restore, or to bring back to working order. By fi xing what is broken rather than throwing it away, we eliminate the need for a new purchase, continue to reuse the existing item, and in a sense recycle what is already ours. Refuse When we do not buy or use a product, we eliminate the need for disposal. Single-use plastic water bottles, for example, are convenient and we have a solution for them (plastics recycling), but the best choice is to refi ll your reusable water bottle to satisfy your thirst. Rethink Underlying all of this is a need for a new way of thinking about the world. Once we realize that there really is no such thing as away all of our stuff comes from somewhere and has to go somewhere we act differently. Rethinking considers all of the R s above when purchasing, consuming, and disposing of materials. Rethinking our Way to Zero Waste Penn State is rethinking in a big way as it goes down the road to Zero Waste. Zero Waste is a recycling and composting initiative intended to completely eliminate the need to send items to landfi lls. What is different about Zero Waste is that it encourages thinking of refuse as a resource. It forces us to consider the entire life-cycle of the things we use, from production to end-of-use. While a true zero is currently not possible, partnerships between OPP, Housing, and students can help Penn State achieve a maximum recycling rate. 5

6 RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Tons of Penn Staters are Doing Tons of Recycling University Park s disposal of waste to the landfi ll has decreased from 7,640 tons in 1989 to 5,400 tons in A big part of that is our increase in recycling. Penn State recycling has grown from collecting 20 tons in 1989 to about 7,400 tons in 2011, or over 57 percent of our total waste generated. You can see the trend in the percentage of waste we recycled over the last eight years in the graph below. WHERE DOES RECYCLING END UP? Newspaper is used for animal bedding and other paper products. Mixed office paper becomes tissue, paper towels, and napkins. Glass produces new glass, and aluminum is remade into cans. Plastic film is processed into plastic and lumber. Plastic bottles are made into milk jugs, polyester fabric, and even new recycling bins. 6

7 RETHINK, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE We Need You to Help Make Penn State a Better Place to Live In the residence hall and in other campus buildings, we ask students to separate trash (waste going to the landfi ll) from recyclables and, if available, compost. Each fl oor of the residence halls has bins for students to sort their trash, recycling and compost. Additionally, some students may have in-room recycling and compost bins, depending on the residence hall. Students are responsible for bringing cans, paper products, bottles, and trash (as well as compost and polystyrene if available) from their rooms to the central collection areas. These collection areas are either in the hallway, in trash closets off the hallway, or in the basement. Each central collection area has posted guidelines for recycling. Each refuse collection area should have bins clearly labeled for recycling and trash (as well as compost if available). Your efforts make a huge difference! The image below shows the breakdown of what we are keeping out of the landfi ll. We are now able to recycle or compost more than 7,000 tons of waste. With your help, we can do even better! 7

8 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK What goes in the Mixed Paper bin? Regular and shredded paper Paperboard packaging (cereal boxes, frozen dinner boxes, etc.) Brochures and pamphlets Envelopes Wrapping paper Card and coated stock Magazines Manila envelopes File folders Soft bound booklets Paper bags What doesn t fit in Mixed Paper? Food and candy wrappers can be Terracycled. With the help of the Green Team Terracycle initiatives your used wrapper can bring scholarships to Penn State. Compost paper towels, paper plates, soiled or wet paper, and soiled pizza boxes, where it is available. Corrugated cardboard (the kind with two stiff outer layers with a wavy inner layer in between) should be fl attened and placed beside or behind the recycling containers. Stack clean pizza boxes at the recycling collection area in your hall. Send hardcover books to AAUW office, 2100 East College Avenue, State College for resale. Small quantities can be placed in the Mixed Office Paper bins. Go the extra step: Please remove paper clips and excessive amounts of tape and glue. Staples can remain. Fun Facts for your Bulletin Board: Recycling 1 ton of paper would: Save enough energy to power the average American home for six months. Save 7,000 gallons of water. Save 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one metric ton of carbon equivalent (MTCE) Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2011). Waste-Resource Conservation-Common Wastes & Materials: Batteries. Retrieved November 2011 from 8

9 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK What goes in the Newspaper bin? Newspaper Newsprint catalogs Telephone books Go the extra step: Please compost wet newspapers, newsprint catalogs or telephone books Fun Facts for your Bulletin Board: The U.S. is the world s largest consumer of newsprint and Canada is the largest producer of it. Nationally 7.6 million tons of newsprint was recycled in % of that was used to produce recycled newsprint. The other uses include: Exports for recycling % Other products (paperboard, etc)..16.5% Paper board % Printing and writing paper % Tissue % It Pays to Recycle: Student Newspaper Readership Program Since 1997 the Penn State Student Newspaper Readership Program students has offered students access to copies of The New York Times, USA Today, Centre Daily Times and The Daily Collegian at no extra charge with their PSU student ID cards. In order to capture the large volume of newspapers generated by this successful program, the Offi ce of Physical Plant placed additional recycling bins across campus. Efforts made by students to recycle have made this into University Park s most successful recycling program. As an added benefi t, a portion of the revenue generated by the sale of recycled newspapers is donated to the Penn State general scholarship fund. The newspaper recycling effort has contributed more than $100,000 since 2002 to the Newspaper Readership Trustee Scholarship Fund, and more than $16,000 to the General Scholarship Fund since Our students are leaders on campus, said Al Matyasovsky, director of the recycling initiative. This is an example of how the simple act of many pitching in can make a positive difference academically, environmentally and economically at Penn State. 9

10 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK What goes in the Plastic bin? Plastic bottles, numbers 1 to 7 Bottles with a neck narrower than the base (items used for water, soda, juice, shampoo, condiments, etc.) Stretchable plastic bags and film Plastic grocery bags Bubble wrap What doesn t fit in Plastic? Wide-mouth containers, such as yogurt cups, margarine containers, etc., can be sent to Terracycle. Polystyrene/Styrofoam containers can be recycled in the dining commons, as well as in some of the residence halls. Go the extra step: Containers should be empty and have no food residue Rinse all containers and remove caps, place the bottle and cap in the plastic bottles recycling bin Fun Facts for your Bulletin Board: Every year, we make enough plastic fi lm to shrink-wrap the state of Texas To produce a plastic beverage bottle, over 3 times the amount of water as is in the bottle is used to produce it, as well as 1/4 of the bottle s amount of petroleum. What s so special about bottled water? If beautiful springs in Fiji come to mind, you d be wrong. Bottled water is often regular tap water, and it is typically less regulated than the tap water you could be drinking. THUMBS UP FOR PLASTIC FILM RECYCLING In 2010, Penn State began accepting plastic film made of either low-density polyethylene (LDPE, or #2) or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE, or #4) as part of its overall recycling program. Penn Staters can test whether it is the correct type of plastic by stretching it, as shown at left. If it stretches, and if it is clean, it can be placed in the plastic bottles bin. On average, 800 pounds of the material are collected every two days. These materials are reprocessed into plastic lumber and furniture. 10

11 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK What goes in the Metal bin? Aluminum Bi-metal (tin) Steel Aerosol cans Paint Cans (if empty and dry) Aluminum Foil (if clean and dry) Go the extra step: Use up, empty, and rinse cans clean Removing labels or crushing is not necessary Fun Facts for your Bulletin Board: The aluminum can is the most recycled consumer product in the U.S. today. In 2006, 46 billion cans were recycled, saving the energy equivalent of 15 million barrels of crude oil America s entire gas consumption for one day. In 60 days a can is recycled, turned into a new can, and back on store shelves. Constructing aluminum products via recyclimg uses 95% less energy than manufacturing it from virgin aluminum. WHAT IS TERRACYCLE? Terracycle is an innovative company that organizes programs to collect hard-to-recycle waste. The company finds vendors interested in the material, and Penn State earns 2 cents or more for each item. Learn more at 11

12 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK What goes in the Glass bin? Clear glass Blue and brown (amber) glass Green glass What does not go in the Glass bin? We cannot recycle laboratory pipettes and graduated cylinders. Light bulbs should not be placed with glass recycling. Incandescent bulbs should be placed in the trash, or can be repurposed as decorations. To dispose of fl uorescent tubes and compact bulbs, Al Matyasovksy for pick up. Go the extra step: Rinse glass containers clean. There s no need to remove the label. Metal tops can be recycled in the Metal bin Fun Facts for your Bulletin Board: Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled with no loss in quality or purity. Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 60-watt bulb for 4 hours, a computer for 30 minutes or a television for 20 minutes. Source: Glass Packaging Institute. (2010). Glass Education: Section 2.1: Glass Attributes. Retrieved November 2011 from 12

13 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK What goes in the Compost bin? Any food waste Dairy products Meat Chewing gum Flowers Soiled or wet paper products Cardboard soiled or wax coated is acceptable Wooden stirrers and toothpicks Cups and utensils marked Compostable How to Compost: Separate the organic waste from any plastic, metal or other counterparts and place it in the composting bin Where to Compost: At some campus buildings, food waste is collected for compost in specifically labeled composting bins. Compost Caddy a small 1 gallon lidded container to store your compost Use a paper liner provided by OPP Waste Management as needed Empty your compost daily Rinse and dry your caddy at least once a week If you begin to notice any odor, wipe with diluted bleach solution or commercial cleansing wipes Always keep the lid of your caddy closed Locate your caddy away from heat sources and direct sunlight Fun Facts for your Bulletin Board: In 2011, Penn State composted 3,822 tons of waste. That s 7,644,000 pounds! If all of the students enrolled at University Park were to step on a gigantic scale, they would weigh less than our yearly accumulation of compost. For every pound of waste you compost, you prevent 2.5 pounds of CO2 emissions from reaching a landfill. 13

14 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK What is Compost Anyway? Composting is the biological decomposition of organic material through aerobic processes. As much as 25% of the waste we generate is organic matter, such as food and yard waste. By composting, we can not only divert waste from the landfi ll, but also convert it to beneficial use. At Penn State, compost is manufactured by blending food waste, leaves, manure, crop residue, animal byproducts, and wood chips into a mixer. The mixture is then formed into huge piles called windrows. These piles are turned to allow the microbes do break down the organic matter until the resulting nutrient-rich material is ready for use. Composting Began with Students at Penn State In 1997, a group of concerned students and Penn State employees asked the University, Why don t we compost cafeteria wastes and use the product in the university s landscaping activities? Their inquiry refl ected the gaining popularity of composting as a waste disposal alternative. It s Still Going What began as a 10-week demonstration project from one small dining commons has grown to an operation handling pre-consumer food waste and napkins from about 70,000 weekly meals in seven dining commons and kitchen prep wastes from two campus hotels, conference centers and a campus daycare center. Food wastes, landscape debris, and animal manure are transformed into use for campus landscaping projects, athletic fi eld maintenance, and agricultural research and demonstration projects. From the Plate to the Pile In 2009 the University piloted the collection of post-consumer waste. Post-consumer waste is the compostable material that would normally be discarded after its intended use, such as food remaining on a plate, napkins, and compostable utensils. By capturing post-consumer waste, we avoid sending trash to the landfi ll 102 miles away, improve the effi ciency of our waste handling, and save the University over $250,000 annually in plastic bags and landfill tipping fees. Go See the Process The initial inquiry into composting, bolstered by the increasing need for better organic waste management, led to the formation of the Organic Materials Processing and Education Center (OMPEC) at the University Park Campus. Today OMPEC not only processes the waste, but also operates as a learning center, offering opportunities for students and researchers to learn about source separating, waste management and backyard composting. Go to or contact psu-compost@psu. edu to learn more. 14

15 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK Tech-Waste Batteries Batteries contain chemicals that can cause serious pollution and health issues. Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfi lls and the air. Recycling also saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries. How to Recycle: Cover terminals with plastic tape or place battery in a plastic bag to prevent shorting Request a battery bucket for your residence hall from Al Matyasovsky When bucket is full, Al Matyasovsky for collection CDs and DVDs CDs, DVDs, and old VHS tapes can be either reused or recycled through Penn State Salvage, as long as they don t contain sensitive information. Cell Phones and mp3 Players Cell phones and MP3 players contain many toxic substances including a number of persistent and bio-accumulative chemicals (PBTs)that pose a threat to public health and the environment after incineration or disposal into landfi lls. Take your old cell phones and personal music devices to the Penn State Computer Store or recycle cell phones for free and benefit schools through the Race to Recycle Program. Computers and Laptops Electronic waste is big business. In the U.S. alone there are more than 400 companies worth an estimated $700 million. These companies process more than 1.5 billion pounds of electronic equipment annually. Your personal laptop can be traded-in at the Penn State Computer Store. Periodically, Salvage and Surplus holds an e-waste recycling day when Penn State faculty, staff and students can drop off computers and other electronic equipment for recycling, free of charge. Please contact Salvage and Surplus ( ) for the next date. Ink and Toner Cartridges At Penn State, General Stores is the main processing center for used toner cartridges. They will accept cartridges for recycling whether they were purchased through General Stores or from another source. In 2011, more than 8 tons of used toner cartridges were recycled at the University Park campus. How to Recycle: Go to the General Stores website* and click on General Return ; complete our on-line Return Form and click submit Once you submit your Return Form a pick-up will be scheduled, free of charge 15

16 WHAT GOES WHERE: HOW TO RECYCLE AT UNIVERSITY PARK New Initiatives Polystyrene (You may know this as Styrofoam, which is a trade name like Kleenex or Band-Aids) In the fall of 2011, Penn State Campus Dining began collecting polystyrene (foam packing material and to-go containers) to have it recycled into reusable products. Students are encouraged to place polystyrene bowls, plates and to-go boxes in the correct receptacle. Polystyrene products have a #6 printed on them. Once the polystyrene products are collected, they are transported to OPP s recycling center and condensed. Dart Container Corporation picks up what are small plastic pellets and drives them back to its headquarters to be downcycled. The plastic can be used to make new products, like rulers, molding and picture frames. No Can Do! The No Can Do! program was designed by Penn State s Offi ce of the Physical Plant to reduce the amount of waste leaving campus by increasing recycling and integrating compost disposal in academic buildings. The program requires faculty and staff to make small changes to their daily routines. This includes collecting trash, recyclables and compostable materials from personal work spaces and sorting them into their proper bins at a recycling station. It is our hope that through initiatives like No Can Do, Penn State will one day be a zero waste campus. The initial pilot, located at the Applied Research Lab off of Science Park Road, was a resounding success. A pre-pilot audit showed a recycling capture rate of 32 percent. After two months of the No Can Do and composting program activation in the building, the capture rate soared to 62 percent. ReDiIndex Beyond the residence halls, Penn State is a leader in the national zero waste movement. A team of leaders within OPP (Al Matyasovsky, Brendan Bagley, and Lloyd Rhoades) have developed the ReDi Index. The Index allows organizations (and even individual homeowners) to calculate the actual impact of their zero waste initiatives compared to their capacity for zero waste operations. Subscribers are also able to compare themselves to other users, such as those in the same business sector or geographically nearby. This can foster greater connections and communication between sustainability leaders in industry. For more information, Al Matyasovsky at aem3@psu.edu. What Happens if I Need Another Bin? Most residence halls have blue bins to collect newspapers, mixed paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. If students see a need for additional collection of recyclables, they can establish a new program by following these guidelines: Students should contact the area Housing Manager to discuss the project. East North West Pollock South, Atherton Simmons, McElwain With the Manager s approval, students should contact the Offi ce of Physical Plant for appropriate recyclable containers, and then place them in designated locations. The Manager may supply plastic liners if needed. Students are responsible for bringing the materials to the recyclable bins or another designated area for pick-up. Students must maintain the collection areas in a neat and sanitary manner. Housing employees will continue to collect and dispose of all materials that are part of the University s offi cial recycling program. 16

17 A BRIEF HISTORY OF RECYCLING AT PENN STATE We ve Been Recycling Longer than Your Residents Have Been Alive Like many of the best programs at Penn State, our early recycling programs were led by a student environmental group and concerned individuals on campus. Efforts to reduce our waste and to begin recycling could be seen on campus throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but it was not until October 1989 that a formal, comprehensive, University-wide recycling policy and program was implemented. Penn State chose to contract with the Centre County Solid Waste Authority (now known as the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority) because they had the most comprehensive program within a 100 mile radius, especially for paper (the largest percentage of our waste stream). Since the initial days of the waste management program in the 1990s, Penn State has continued to seek opportunities to operationalize the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. For the waste produced, it is a priority to reduce resource use, The recycling collection program has remained basically the same since the late 1990s, though with an expanded list of recyclables and recycling for additional special events. Refuse collection in each offi ce or residence hall room and having faculty, staff, and students take receptacles to a central collection point has not changed. Presently, our program recycles the following materials: mixed offi ce paper, newspaper, cardboard, glass containers, metal ones, all plastic beverage containers with necks smaller than their bases, wooden pallets, motor oil from our garage, batteries, fl uorescent lamps, and some food and landscaping wastes. In fi scal year 2011, Penn State recycled 57 percent of its waste stream, or 7,400 tons of materials. Mixed offi ce paper and composted food waste represented the largest components of this material. STUDENTS LEAD ZERO WASTE INITIATIVES IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS In spring 2012, a student group known as Green It Together led the movement to make Runkle Hall a Zero Waste residence. The program was a great success: despite a low original waste diversion rate of 21.6 percent, students were able to increase recycling and composting rates enough to keep 71.5 percent of the waste out of the landfill. To test which aspect of the program had the greatest influence in changing students recycling behaviors, new bins and signs were placed in Leete and Holmes halls. Without the influence of student leaders, Leete and Holmes saw a modest increase in waste diversion (4.5 percent compared to Runkle s 51 percent). While the new signage was important, students habits were most influenced by their peers. 17

18 GENERAL RECYCLING INFORMATION 10 Steps to a Better Penn State 1. Buy only what you need. 2. When you buy, purchase products with less packaging or that are packaged in recyclable or reusable containers. 3. Buy a permanent bottle for water and a refillable mug for that cup of coffee or tea. 4. Use cloth napkins, handkerchiefs and rags rather than paper napkins, tissues and towels. 5. Avoid buying disposable products such as plastic cups, bags, fl atware, paper plates, towels and napkins. 6. Reuse bags from the bookstore or grocery store or use canvas tote bags for your shopping. 7. Print on both sides of paper. 8. If you have unneeded books, sell them through the campus bookstores or donate them to the AAUW book-sale held each spring. 9. Use rechargeable batteries. 10. Stop your junk mail by writing to Mail Preference Service asking them to stop selling your name to direct mail companies: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farming Dale, NY Get Involved: Donate and Volunteer at Trash to Treasure Trash to Treasure, also called T2T, is a sale of gently used and new items donated by PSU students living in University Park s residence halls. Held on a Saturday near Memorial Day each year, the sale brings in hundreds of people and thousands of dollars. The 2012 Trash-to-Treasure sale broke records! 75.1 tons of gently-used items were donated, generating more than $60,000 for agencies of the Centre County United Way--the highest amount in the event s history. Encouraging your residents to donate is a fantastic way to both divert waste from landfi lls and contribute to a great cause. Green Tours Learn More: Tours of the Penn State s Recycling and Compost facilities offer practical applications of waste management processing at the University Park campus. To arrange for a tour, contact Al Matyasovsky at aem3@psu.edu or Nadine Davitt at njh103@psu.edu. 18

19 APPENDIX recycling University Park Campus guidelines Mixed Office Paper Copier and ledger paper (colors ok) Junk mail Computer printout paper Envelopes (with or without window) Soft-cover bound booklets, brochures, and catalogues Magazines and glossies Gift wrap (except foils) Card or coated stock Post-it Notes Paperboard boxes (i.e. cereal) Books Mixed ofce paper should be free of paper clips, glue or excessive tape. Staples may remain. Shredded paper is collected in separate bags. Glass Food and beverage bottles and jars Clear, blue, green and brown colored glass Reagent bottles (triple rinse) Glass should be thoroughly rinsed. Metal caps can be recycled in the Metal Cans bin. See Special Pick-Up for uorescent light tube disposal. Incandescent light bulbs should be deposited in the Trash (landll) bin. Plastic AAUW accepts donated books Number 1 through 7 bottles Stretchy plastic bags and lm Bubble wrap and packing pillows Plastic containers should be rinsed. Labels may remain. Plastic bottle caps are recyclable too. It s recyclable if the neck of the container is narrower than the bottom. For other plastics (like yogurt cups) see Special Pick-Up instructions. Newspaper Newspaper Newsprint catalogues Phone directories Newsprint for recycling should be dry. Metal Cans Paint cans Aluminum, bimetal (tin), and steel containers Aluminum foil (if clean and dry) Aerosol spray cans Metal containers should be rinsed. Labels may remain. Crushing is not necessary. See Special Pick-Up for unempty aerosol and paint can disposal. Organic Waste/Compost Paper towels and tissues Wooden picks and stirrers Food waste (including meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables) Compostable plates, cups and utensils Coffee grounds, lters and tea bags Limited availability. Corrugated Cardboard Corrugated cardboard for recycling should be dry. Boxes should be broken down and placed beside recycling station. See Special Pick-Up for large quantities. Special Pick-Up If sufcient quantities exist, special arrangements can be made for pick-up of the following items by contacting Al Matyasovsky (aem3@psu.edu) If it s edible or will decompose in the ground, it can be composted Foam packing material (Styrofoam and peanuts ) Left-over food and compostable goods from a catered event (advance notice appreciated) CD s, DVD s, cassette and VHS tapes Batteries Yogurt, cottage cheese, and other non-recyclable plastics Fluorescent light tubes Unempty aerosol and paint cans Electronic equipment Corrugated cardboard Hard cover books Ferrous and non-ferrous metals Still unsure? Visit green.psu.edu/recycling It is the responsibility of the building occupant to transport recyclables to recycle stations. Thank you for participating. Revised Winter 2012 /recycling 19

20 APPENDIX composting University Park Campus guidelines What is? How can you help? It s the addition of organic waste collection (compost) to recycling stations through the elimination of desk side trash collection service. visit: green.psu.edu/nocando What can be composted?...if it s edible or will decompose in the ground it can be composted fruit vegetables dairy products Collect trash and recyclable materials from your work space. Take to a recycling station, sort, and deposit trash, recyclables, and compostable materials into the proper bin. Compostables should be disposed of daily to avoid unpleasant odors. meat lters and grounds bones compostable plates, cups, and utensils pizza boxes and other soiled paper food containers paper towels and tissues wooden picks and stirrers Resource Guide INFORMATION TYPE CONTACT WEBSITE Recycling Information Al Matysovsky ( ) aem3@psu.edu Composting Nadine Davitt ( ) njh103@psu.edu Campus Sustainability Ofce Erik Foley ( ) ebf3@psu.edu Green Teams Lydia Vandenbergh ( ) lbv10@psu.edu Eco-Reps Rob Andrejewski ( ) rga116@psu.edu Custodial Information OPP Report Energy Waste OPP (click on the red button) Facility Coordinators OPP It is the responsibility of the building occupant to transport compostables to recycle stations. Thank you for participating. Revised Winter 2012 /composting 20