Based on recycling program goals, resources, projected cost-savings and revenues, the campus may decide to develop its own recycling infrastructure. In this case, the campus may need collection bins, collection vehicles, a sorting center, crusher, balers and other equipment to consolidate the materials for shipping. There are many excellent examples for your campus to model, but we have provided two:

Loyola Marymount University has a comprehensive recycling program. To collect materials from bins placed all over campus, they developed a technique that allows student workers without any specialized training (5 students @ 18 hours/week) to easily and inexpensively operate the collection equipment. With this creative approach the program had very low start-up costs, and annually saves more than it pays.

Here is a description of the program from their website. "Large curbside recycling trucks had a tough time servicing containers in the pedestrian-oriented campus environment. In the face of these drawbacks, we borrowed airline luggage handling methodology from nearby LAX and created an affordable, highly mobile method of servicing containers in the field. Adopting a three-quarter scale philosophy, we employed small utility vehicles to pull transport trailers which allow us to exchange field roll-cart containers with empty power washed units."

Another important aspect of LMU's program is its standard and method for maintaining cleanliness of its operation. "The LMU Program maintains the highest levels of sanitation and cleanliness. After collected materials have been sorted and processed, each container is power washed with hot pressurized water at our wash rack prior to redeployment in the field. Because of our 'firehouse' standards the Program encountered very little resistance during our growth phase from 1991 to 1994." (See "Firehouse Standards") The power washer is also a model in careful use of resources -- it filters and reuses the water!

University of Michigan also operates a comprehensive recycling program with over 3,000 collection bins around the campus. In contrast to LMU, Michigan uses two full-size trucks and large containers. The program is operated by the Grounds and Waste Management Services, who service the bins five days per week. Materials are processed at a City owned materials recovery facility ("MRF") for shipping to markets. U of M's online Recycling Bin Guide outlines what containers they service and where the containers are placed, and incorporates everything from small printed cardboard boxes placed at office desks to enormous metal bins for buildings.

Regardless of whether the recycling service is maintained by a contracted recycling service or the campus itself, your program will probably want to assist in getting the highest possible participation. The placement of the bins should be carefully thought out for convenience, ease of maintenance, cleanliness, and aesthetics. You might determine that a recycling bin is needed in every classroom, dorm room, office and high traffic area, or you may decide upon a more centralized placement of bins. Here are some ideas for prime locations for recycling bins and the materials you might expect to collect at each location.

LOCATIONS		MATERIALS
Classrooms and hallways		High-grade paper, newsprint, beverage containers
Computer labs		High-grade paper, computer disks, ink cartridges
Copy centers		High-grade paper, ink cartridges, toner cartridges
Dorms, residence halls		Beverage containers, paper, cardboard, books, clothing, household and personal items, batteries
Food services		Aluminum, steel cans, glass, plastics, paper, and food scraps (for composting)
Library		High-grade paper, ink cartridges, toner cartridges, books, magazines
Offices		High-grade paper, newsprint, magazines, cardboard, beverage containers, ink cartridges, toner cartridges, batteries
Vending areas		Beverage containers

If your campus decides to maintain the program rather than contract for the recycling, you may need to acquire collection vehicles, glass and aluminum crushers, cardboard and plastics balers and other equipment. There are many vendors of equipment and several of these are listed in the Vendors section of this website. There are several national trade publications that provide information on equipment and vendors. A few of these are listed below.

Those who have been at this business a long time advise that you initiate a complete separation, especially with paper, from the start. The value of clean high-grade office paper over mixed paper is significant. Experience has shown that it is difficult to get people to separate paper by type after they're used to throwing it all into one container. Another good hint for collection is to pick up the full containers and leave empty ones in their place. This saves time by eliminating the need to dump and rebundle the recyclables, and it keeps materials separated.