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Recycling Guidelines

Glass Containers

glass bottles glass jars Glass food and beverage containers should be rinsed. Remove lids and discard. Glass should be separated by colors and placed in the appropriate recycling containers in your facility or venue. No broken glass.

 

Metal Containers

Aluminum, bimetal (tin) and steel cans can be recycled by taking these items to the appropriate recycling containers in your facility or venue. Cans should be rinsed clean. Removing labels or crushing is not necessary. Aerosol and paint cans should be empty and dry.

Question: How can you tell between a tin and steel can? Steel is the primary metal in tin (bi-metal) cans. The container has a light tin coating to prevent the steel from interacting with acidic foods such as soups, tomato, coffee or tuna. aluminum cans aluminum foil aerosol cans empty paint can

 

Plastic Containers

HDPE plastics PETE Plastic bottles Penn State recycles all plastic containers having a neck narrower than the base. This includes numbers 1 to 7 plastics used for the following purposes:

Wide-mouth containers, such as yogurt cups, cannot be recycled currently at Penn State. Before recycling, all containers should be rinsed out and caps removed. Thank you!

 

Newspapers

Newspaper, newsprint catalogs and telephone books should be taken to the appropriate recycling containers located in your facility or venue. newspaper

 

Cardboard

Corrugated cardboard is made from two stiff unbleached craft paper outer layers and a wavy inner layer. This combination makes a strong product used for packaging. Cardboard boxes should be flattened and placed beside the recycling containers in your facility or venue. cardboard

 

Mixed Office Paper

Mixed office paper can be recycled by taking these items to the appropriate recycling containers located in your facility or venue. Paper should be free of paper clips and other contaminants, such as excessive tape or glue. Staples may remain. Shredded paper can be recycled in the same bin or in separate bags, if necessary.

Acceptable paper types:

 

Unacceptable paper types:

 

*These items, as well as soiled or wet paper and pizza boxes may be collected in special compost situations. Please contact the Recycling office at 863-4719 for more information.

** Hardcover books should be dropped off at the AAUW office, 2100 East College Avenue, State College.

Non-Traditional Materials

Compost

Organic waste (food waste and plant materials) are collected and taken to the Organic Materials Processing and Education Center (OMPEC) located nearby. At the OMPEC site, these materials that comprise 15 percent of the "recipe", are mixed with fodder (corn, soybean and leaves) and cow manure to produce high quality compost, which is used by our landscape personnel to improve our flowerbeds and other green spaces on campus. Last year 1,955 tons of organic matter was collected and processed. compost piles

 

Computers

Penn State Computers are recycled through Salvage and Surplus(865-4371). Old computers are collected by Salvage and sent to the Unicor program, whereby the machines are either resold or disassembled by inmates at the Lewisburg Prison for recycling. Nothing is sent to a landfill. Under this program, over 310 tons of computers were recycled at Penn State in 2005.

Cell Phones

Cell phones can be recycled for free and benefit schools. See www.racetorecycle.com for directions.

Toner Cartridges

Toner cartridges are recycled/reused at Penn State. By sending your used cartridge to General Stores, it will be refilled and sold again as a toner cartridge. Due to the material and energy savings in the recycling process, cost savings are passed along to the consumer. This process saved 4.9 tons of cartridges from our landfill in 2005.

Batteries

Flashlight, radio and car batteries are recycled at Penn State. Flashlight and radio batteries may be placed in clear plastic bags at the nearest recycling station in your facility. If you are a large generator, use a bucket or a box for collection.

Car batteries from Penn State Fleet Services are recycled through the OPP garage. Deliver your battery to the garage or call the Recycling office (863-4719) for pick-up.

Motor Oil

Used motor oil is collected in our OPP garage and sent to Hazelton Oil Recyclers to be used in various oil recycling processes. University Departments may use this service for free by delivering their used oil and placing it in the holding tank in the garage. Individuals and communities can learn more about what to do with their used motor oil on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection webpage Waste Oil Program.

Fluorescent Tubes

Considered a hazardous waste, we collect and recycle fluorescent tubes on campus. Under manifest, these tubes are taken to a recycling center and are used to manufacture new light tubes. OPP's Environmental Health and Safety Department is the administrator of this program.

Pallets

Pallets are recycled/reused at Penn State. Those in good condition are given to a pallet manufacturer for resale. Broken pallets are ground up and used in our compost process as organic feed stock. pallets

 

Styrofoam

Styrofoam packing, both small and large sizes, may be taken to the UPS Stores for re-use. The stores in State College may be found at:

They'll even take bubble wrap.

Scrap Metal (Ferrous and non-ferrous)

More metal is recycled in the United States than any other material. On Penn State's campus, copper, brass, iron and steel are collected and/or deposited in designated dumpsters (roll-offs). The metal is marketed by John Kustaborder, a local business owner. Through this arrangement, Penn State avoids the costs of disposing of valuable materials into Centre County's landfill and Mr. Kustaborder makes a donation to the Environmental Resource Management curriculum in the University's Department of Agriculture. To date this process has generated $15,000 in donations to the program. Scrap metal from campus is melted and remolded into vehicles, coffee cans, washing machines and other commonly used items.

Construction and Demolition Materials

Dumpsters (roll-offs) are provided at renovation projects. Refuse, reuse and recycled materials are separated and are diverted to the appropriate handling facility.

 

Revised August 2007