Recycling & Integrated Solid Waste (ISW) Trash Services
Recycling containers can be found at essentially every building on campus. Depending on the needs of the building occupants, there are containers for newspaper/magazines, office paper, mixed containers, cardboard/ paperboard, and phonebooks. Please be sure all of your materials have been prepared for recycling according to the guidelines found at acceptable items for recycling.
Hours of Operation
Recycling Services offices are available from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Additionally, requests for paper shredding can be made online at any time using the FAMIS self-service application. Also see the Shredding Request page for important related information.
Recycling Policies
Colorado State University Recycling Section will begin to offer small quantity shredding service to campus departments.
Security is important to all Colorado State University Departments. Documents picked up for shredding will be kept in a secure room until the shredding process is complete. Within two working days, the documents are shredded. Larimer County Recycling Center will receive the shredded paper for recycling.
There will be a charge of $4.00 per file box size, and no more than twenty boxes per week will be accepted from one department.
Request a Pick-up for Shredding
If your department has boxes of paper that need to be shredded, it is now possible to request for such boxes to be picked up and the contents recycled. Refer to the Shredding Request page for important related information. Using the Kuali financial application, a Work Order Authorization (WOA) must be created and an Ad Hoc request sent to sheela.backen@colostate.edu and patricia.a.wright@colostate.edu.
Recycling Events
Integrated Solid Waste Program Wins CAFR Award
The Colorado Association for Recycling, or CAFR, has awarded Facilities Management’s Integrated Solid Waste Program the Outstanding Government Recycling/Waste Diversion Program Award.
Recycling at Colorado State began a few decades ago, but has made tremendous progress since receiving a grant in 1990. The waste collection and disposal processes were overhauled to allow for efficient collection and recycling bins can now be found nearly everywhere on campus. Currently, CSU landfills about 44.9% of solid waste, with the existing recycling program diverting the other 55.1%. Those figures do not include the (literal) tons of items collected through the Leave-It Behind and Surplus Property programs that are recycled, donated to local charities, or sold for reuse to the local community.
For details, please see the entire nomination article.
RecycleMania
RecycleMania is a ten-week event, running from January 17 - March 27, 2010 in which colleges and universities throughout the country are pitted against each other in a friendly competition of recycling efficiency. The competition is split into multiple contests, such as the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, and the highest recycling rate.
The primary goal of this event is to increase student awareness of campus recycling and waste minimization. All participating schools are required to report measurements on a weekly basis. RecycleMania provides many ways to gain recognition, including RecycleMania trophies, awards, and participant certificates.
In RecycleMania 2008, Colorado State University placed 2nd in the nation! In the 2009 competition, CSU placed 10th overall.
In the end, RecycleMania helps all participating colleges and universities make achievements in recycling and waste reduction! For additional information, please visit the national RecycleMania site and the Sustainability in Facilities Management site.
Great Sofa Round-up
The Great Sofa Round-up is a great chance for Fort Collins community members to unload unwanted couches and pick up needed couches, all for free. This collaborative event between CSU and the City of Fort Collins aims to help students and neighbors get rid of unwanted furniture, while giving people in need access to free sofas. Approximately 600 sofas were offered for trade during the two-day event last year. About half of those couches were saved from the landfill.
Acceptable Materials for Recycling
Mixed Paper - Acceptable Items
- Computer paper
- Colored paper (pastels only)
- White paper (bond, letterhead, typing, copier, index cards)
- Carbonless paper
- Envelopes (with or without windows)
- Coated paper (fax, brochures, advertisements)
- File folders (manila or pastel)
- Direct mailings
- Paper board (file folder boxes, cereal boxes, etc.)
- Magazines
- Newspaper
- Phonebooks
- Books & catalogs (any thickness)
- Brown paper bags
Mixed Paper - Unacceptable Items
- Waxed or plastic-coated paper
- Brightly-colored paper (goldenrod, neons, deep tones, fluorescents)
- Carbon paper
- Food wrappings
- Trash
Cardboard - Acceptable Items
- Corrugated cardboard
- Pizza boxes
Cardboard - Unacceptable Items
- Waxed cardboard
Mixed Containers - Acceptable Items
All plastic containers and bottles must be clean and free of food debris, and must be no larger than 2.5 gallons.
- #1 & #2 narrow-necked containers, caps removed
- Any container stamped #1 - #7 (except those listed under Unacceptable Items below)
- Wide-mouth containers stamped #1 - #7 (e.g. butter, cottage cheese tubs, etc.), snap-on lids okay
- Yogurt containers stamped #1 - #7, snap-on lids okay
- Clear clamshells (e.g. sandwich or cookie containers from the deli or bakery), stamped #1 - #7
- Personal care/Rx bottles stamped #1 - #7
- Pails stamped #1 - #7, snap-on lids okay
- Flower and garden pots stamped #1 - #7
- #7 Nalgene bottles
- Glass drinking bottles & food jars
- Aluminum
- Tin and steel cans
- Five-gallon buckets - can be set next to the bins for reuse on campus
Mixed Containers - Unacceptable Items
Containers larger than 2.5 gallons are not acceptable.
- Frozen entree microwave trays
- Food trays or party platters, even if stamped with #1 - #7 (due to contamination issue)
- Film (e.g. shrink wrap, Saran wrap, etc.)
- Plastic bags
- Automotive chemical containers, including motor oil and anti-freeze
- Pesticide containers
- Styrofoam containers
- #5, #6, #7 compostable bottles or cups (these will be marked "compostable" by the manufacturer)
- Pyrex
- Kitchen glassware
- Plastic bags
Batteries - Acceptable Items
- Alkaline
- NiCad (NiCd)
- Gel pack
- Rechargeable
- Please call 970-491-0113 for a special collection container (call for empty and return on these containers)
Paint - Acceptable Items
- Please call Environmental Health Services at 970-491-6746
Surplus - Acceptable Items
- Refrigerators
- Microwave ovens
- Electrical Equipment: computers, monitors, TV’s, etc.
Remember, other unused items can be disposed of through Surplus Property.
Additional Information
For more information, please contact Sheela Backen at 970-491-0122.
