Recycling is a key element in WSU's sustainability effort and it is the responsibility of every person to be aware of and participate in recycling programs. Find out more...
What is Comingled Recycling?
Recent changes to the recycling and waste collection programs have generated questions about what can be put in the "Comingled" containers and what happens to that material. Comingled recycling may include; Plastic bottles(#1 PETE), Aluminum cans, paper small amounts of cardboard, tin cans, #2 colored plastics, yogurt containers and dairy tubs. For a complete list of items accepted and items not accepted go to http://facops.wsu.edu/Recycling/rec_accepteditems.htm .
This system allows some items that we were not previously able to accept. Unfortunately we cannot accept any glass as a Comingled material. Comingled commodities are sold as recycled product to processing plants where it is mechanically sorted. We do not have the capability to sort material at our facilities so contaminated material must be discarded as waste. Please use the correct container for your materials!
To minimize the amount of waste you have to carry to a centralized location; please consider ordering a desk side recycling container from WSU Central Stores. By locating centralized waste and recycling containers together, WSU should divert more materials from the landfill; which saves money and makes WSU a more sustainable institution.
Waste Reduction
Recycling what is recyclable is always important. Recycling a soda can saves 96% of the energy used to make a can from ore. (Source - Dartmouth Recycles pamphlet) What is even more important is; Don't create waste to begin with. Did you know; the average person generates 600 times their adult weight in garbage during their lifetime. (Source - 50 Things You Can Do To Save The Earth)
New containers for campus
WSU Capital Planning has designed a new style Recycling/Waste Container for campus. The new containers have three separate stations. Two for co-mingled recycling and one for waste. This design is an effort to stop contamination between products. When waste is mixed with the paper, cans, or plastics, the entire can may end up going to the landfill rather than be recycled. This hurts our environment as well as all of us financially.
