WSU RECYCLE PROGRAM

                                  

 

  

                       

                                               

                                                           

                                                           

TONS OF REASONS TO RECYCLE

HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM:

 

The WSU recycle program was established in 1992 by President Warren Armstrong. A number of Faculty, Staff, and students approached President Armstrong showing a strong interest in what could be done to start a recycling program. President Armstrong designated a committee to begin looking into beginning a program of this nature. Through the work of this committee a volunteer program was established in 1992. At this time office paper was the only material that the committee concentrated on in its efforts to recycle. Under the program faculty, staff and students would accumulate the office paper at their work stations and then transport the paper to one of four dumpsters located around campus. This process worked very well the first three years, which was shown by 57 tons, 65 tons, and 77 tons of paper being recycled respectfully.

 

In 1995 the recycle program was expanded to begin recycling more materials. In addition, funding was approved for the construction of 41 recycling centers, to be placed in campus buildings to make the recycling program more accessible and convenient. The centers were able to store office paper, mixed paper, and aluminum. A recycle position was established with the sole purpose of servicing these centers on a daily basis. The centers allowed faculty, staff, and students a place to put their recyclables without leaving the campus buildings. The result of the centers was an almost doubling of the volume of recyclable materials from the WSU Campus to 126 tons.

 

In 1996 mixed paper was dropped from the recycling program due to the market, and our recycler no longer accepting that particular mix. To compensate for this the recycler began accepting magazines and newspaper. Changes were made to the recycling centers in the buildings and plastic was added to the aluminum signage. At the present time the centers will now be able to handle office paper, newspaper, magazines and beverage containers of aluminum and plastic. The program has continued to increase its volume of recyclables, thanks to the efforts of all the faculty, staff, and students that are participating.

 

Programs have also been established for the recycling of phone books, campus directories, wood, steel, and tin cans. 

 

 

 

RECYCLE INFORMATION

 

  1. OFFICE PAPER

Acceptable Office Paper       

Unacceptable Office Paper       

Shredded Paper       

Dumpster Locations on Campus

  1. MAGAZINES
  2. NEWSPAPER
  3. ALUMINIUM BEVERAGE CONTAINERS
  4. PLASTIC BEVERAGE CONTAINER

6.   PLASTICS FROM CAMPUS FOOD SERVICES

7.   TIN CANS FROM CAMPUS FOOD SERVICES

8.      CARDBOARD

9.      PHONE BOOKS

10.  PROBLEMS WE HAVE HAD WITH THE PROGRAM

11.  WHAT KIND OF VOLUME HAS THE RECYCLE PROGRAM GENERATED?

12.  HOW HAS THE RECYCLING PROGRAM IMPACTED THE REFUSE DEPARTMENT?

13.  RECYCLE STAFF

 

ACCEPTABLE OFFICE PAPER

 

 

Paper clips and staples left with the paper are OK.  Below is a list of paper types accepted as office paper.

WHITE PAPERS:

Copy machine, letterhead, computer printout

 

COLORED PAPERS:

Pastels only, carbonless

 

ENVELOPES:

White and pastels, plastic windows

 

DIRECT MAILINGS:

Opened

 

COATED PAPERS:

Fax, brochures, advertising, no bindings

 

FILE FOLDERS:

Manila or pastel only

 

 

  

UNACCEPTABLE OFFICE PAPER

 

UNBLEACHED PAPERS:

Cardboard, tablet backings, brown paper, brown or tan envelops

 

BRIGHT COLORS:

Goldenrod, neons, deep tones

WAX OR PLASTIC COATED PAPERS:

Paper ream wrappers

 

FOOD WRAPPINGS AND PAPER TOWELS

TRASH

SHREDDED OFFICE PAPER

Bag all shredded paper.  Otherwise, in transport it becomes scattered over campus.

Drop bags of shredded paper into the nearest green Weyerhaeuser office paper dumpster on campus. Currently there are 4 locations:

·        Devlin south loading dock

·        Hubbard west loading dock

·        Jabara west loading dock

·        Wallace Hall northeast corner

 

DO NOT stack bags of shredded paper on or by the wooden recycle centers inside campus buildings. Not only is this unsightly, it is hazardous, and against safety codes.

DUMPSTER LOCATIONS

           

Currently, there are 4 locations of office paper dumpsters on campus for your use.  Please place ONLY acceptable office paper in them, as other items may devoid the entire contents. 

            Weyerhaeuser empties the dumpsters once a week, usually on Wednesday.  If the approach to a dumpster is blocked, that dumpster will not be emptied for the week, nor can others approach them to utilize them.  Please do not park in front of them at any time.

            The 4 locations are:

·        Devlin south loading dock

·        Hubbard west loading dock

·        Jabara west loading dock

·        Wallace Hall northeast corner

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                                                      MAGAZINES

 

All types of magazines are acceptable.  

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NEWSPAPER OR NEWSPRINT

 

All newspaper and/or newsprint are acceptable, including inserts.

 

 

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ALUMINUM BEVERAGE CANS

 

 

Wooden recycle centers are designed and intended to accommodate aluminum beverage containers only—Not other metals or other aluminum.

 

Tin cans, foil, aluminum food trays, etc. are not acceptable as aluminum in our centers.

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PLASTIC BEVERAGE CONTAINERS

 

Remove the caps, and place caps in a trash barrel.

 

Our wooden recycle centers inside campus buildings are designed and intended to accommodate plastic beverage containers only—Not other plastics.

 

Please do not drop other plastics into the recycle centers.  Shopping bags, plastic food containers, detergent bottles, etc. are not acceptable here.

 

 

 

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PLASTIC CONTAINERS FROM CAMPUS FOOD SERVICES

 

Some food services on campus have made special arrangements with us to recycle plastics from their establishment.  These plastics are not to be placed in, or near the wooden recycle centers.

 

All plastics are now produced with the plastic designation on the bottom of the product.  Grades #1 and #2 are the only plastics acceptable in our recycle program.

 

 

 

 

 

Colored and clear #1 and #2 only are acceptable from food service establishments on campus.

Do not drop them into the wooden recycle centers’ beverage container slot, or leave      them on or near the recycle centers.

 

 

 

On both #1'S and #2's, the lids need to be removed and trashed.  CONTAINERS MUST BE RINSED. The labels do not need to be removed

TYPICAL PRODUCTS FOR #1 GRADE

Bottles: soft drink, Pepto-Bismol, Ocean Spray, honey, Palmolive dish detergent, liquid Spic and Span. (Rinse bottles before recycling)

 

APPEARANCE OF #1

Transparent with high gloss, clear and colored; no seams; injection-molding nub on bottom.

 

TYPICAL PRODUCTS #2 GRADE

Jugs: milk, cider, distilled water, spring water; Rinse jugs before recycling.

Bottles: juice (not clear), rubbing alcohol, large vinegar, single serving punch drink or juice, grocery bags. Rinse bottles before recycling.

 

APPEARANCE OF #2

Translucent matte finish (not shiny).

 

 

 

 

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                                                       CARDBOARD

 

 

 

The only cardboard that is being recycled in our program is corrugated cardboard. This is cardboard that has the wavy inside layer to it.

 

No solid cardboard is acceptable. This would include items like shoe boxes, the back of tablets, and so on.

 

Wax coated boxes, and food container boxes such as pizza boxes, are not acceptable, and must be trashed.

 

Cardboard boxes are to be broken down and bundled into manageable sizes of dimension and weight.  Masking tape works for bundling if it is wrapped securely around the collapsed boxes. Bundles of collapsed boxes are to be given to custodial staff who will take them to that buildings’ refuse pick-up site, from where it will be recycled.

 

Please do not pile bundled collapsed boxes by or on our wooden recycle centers. That practice is unsightly and hazardous.

 

 

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PHONE BOOKS

 

Phone books are collected only a few weeks once a year, usually in mid to late summer. Watch for notices as to when and where you may drop them off.

 

Recycle staff cannot handle phone books for you. Do not stack them by or near wooden recycle centers inside campus buildings.

 

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STAFF and EQUIPMENT

 

           

 

As of 2005, our recycle staff consists of one full-time employee.  That individual is responsible for daily emptying the 40-some recycle centers located in campus buildings, handling the extra recycle pick up requests, and hauling, then baling cardboard from 4 or more sites on campus. He also separates plastic and aluminum beverage containers, separates newsprint and magazines, hauls newsprint, magazines, aluminum and plastics to Weyerhaeuser, and performs other recycle tasks.  In addition, that person is a vital part of Landscape Maintenance Department’s ice and snow removal team. 

               

The full-time recycler is obviously a busy individual!  His routine equipment includes a utility vehicle, a dolly, and a cardboard bale.  He has part time use of a skid-steer loader, a forklift, pickup trucks, and a dump truck. 

 

  

 

 

 WHAT PROBLEMS HAVE WE

EXPERIENCED WITH RECYCLING

 

 

Your participation is greatly appreciated, and we hope you will continue to utilize the recycling centers and encourage others that are not participating to join in.

 

The following are some problems we have experienced, and your cooperation in correcting these problems would be of great help to us.

 

  1. Please DO NOT put food scraps in the recycling centers. It is unpleasant and unsanitary leading to the discarding of all contents in that particular bin.

 

  1. No wax coated boxes or pizza boxes. These articles do not fit the cardboard criteria

 

  1. Please bag all shredded paper, to avoid creating undue littering while transporting it on campus.

 

  1. Styrofoam cannot be recycled currently in our program. Please bag it separately and ask custodial staff to dispose of it.  DO NOT LEAVE IT INSIDE  BOXES TO BE RECYCLED.

 

  1. If you have special pick-ups, such as storage room clean-outs, file cabinet clean-outs, disposal of excess brochures, catalogs, etc, please place a work order with staff in Gaddis Physical Plant administration building, extension 3444. Make arrangements through this means BEFORE you clean out, in order to make our work manageable, and in order to maximize the safety in your area.

 

  1. Phone books are recycled ONCE A YEAR, usually in late summer. Watch for notices regarding the dates for our collection and hauling of phone books. At other times, the books can often only be dumped, as we do not have facilities to hold them all until the next year.

 

  1. Phone books are to be taken to designed drop-off points on campus, not left on or near wooden recycle centers for our staff to transport. We are not staffed to handle that.

 

  1. Confidential records cannot be shredded by recycle staff, as we have no means to do so. Please notify Ed Gomez, Director of Facility Services, Custodial Maintenance, with questions regarding other alternatives.

 

  1. DO NOT bring your own recyclables from home, to add to that of WSU. It is hurting us financially more than helping.

 

  1. Cardboard boxes are to be broken down and taped in bundles of sizes and weights to be easily handled. Masking tape works well for bundling. Unbroken boxes are hard to transport across campus, and our recycle staff has no time to break down boxes for you.  Do Not include trash in the bundles and boxes. 

 

  1. Contact custodial staff, to dispose of your cardboard bundles for you. Do not leave them in hallways or stacked on or by wooden recycle centers. That practice is unsightly, and hazardous.

 

  1. Plastic beverage containers ONLY are to be placed into the appropriate bin of wooden recycle centers inside campus buildings. Please do not drop other plastics in, such as, shopping bags and plastic food boxes.

 

  1. Remember, we have a limited recycle staff. Without your help and co-operation we cannot meet demand.  

 

 

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   WHAT KIND OF VOLUME HAS THE

RECYCLE PROGRAM GENERATED

 

 

 

FY 92-93         (Office paper only)                                           57.21 Tons

 

FY 93-94         (Office paper only)                                           64.95 Tons

 

FY 94-95         (Office paper only)                                           76.90 Tons

 

FY 95-96         (All recyclables)                                                126.30 Tons

 

FY 96-97         (All recyclables)                                                301.95 Tons                                                     

 

FY 97-98         (All recyclables) As of 3-30-98                        264.39 Tons                                                     

 

FY 98-01         (All recyclables)                                                 N/A

 

Figures below show total tonnage for aluminum, cardboard, magazines, newsprint, and office paper.  Figures do not include the tonnage of metal and wood that was recycled.

FY 02                                                                                         139.60   Tons                                                                     

FY 03                                                                                          160.89 Tons

FY 04                                                                                           157.45 Tons

 
FY 04                                                                                           157.45   Tons

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HOW HAS THE RECYCLING PROGRAM

IMPACTED THE REFUSE DEPARTMENT

 

 

FY 92-93                                                                                 744.49 Tons

 

FY 93-94                                                                                 837.60 Tons

 

FY 94-95                                                                                 822,18 Tons

 

FY 95-96                                                                                 523.76 Tons    

 

FY 96-97                                                                                 563.67 Tons

 

FY 97-01                                                                                    N/A

 

FY 02                                                                                       536 Tons

 

FY 03                                                                                        449 Tons

 

FY 04                                                                                        506 Tons

 

As you can see, there was no appreciable impact on the refuse hauled to the landfill the first three years of the recycling program. Once the recycling program was expanded to more recyclables, a significant decrease was seen in the amount of refuse being hauled to the landfill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU FOR HELPING

 

Thank you for your cooperation in the recycle program.  It is essential in order for the program to work effectively. 

 

 To make any comments or to inquire into the recycling program please e-mail either:

 

Mary Ann Covalt                  OR         Kari Ossman

Maryann.covalt@wichita.edu                Kari.ossman@wichita.edu

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