Through thoughtful purchasing decisions, reducing consumption and increasing recycling we can drastically reduce what we send to the landfill. Use the guide below to help Appalachian State divert waste from landfills.
Want to test your knowledge on campus waste disposal procedure?
Take these quizzes below:
Plastic
Bottles and Containers (#1-7)
Cups and tubs (#1-7)
Yogurt containers
Paper
White copy paper
Colored paper
White paper with colored ink
Envelopes
Legal paper
Manila folders
Post-it notes
Magazines and catalogues (staples are okay)
Note cards
Newspaper
Pasteboard (Cereal boxes, soda/beverage containers)
Paper bags
Wrapping paper
Metal
Aluminum cans
Foil (no food residue)
Steel/tin cans
Pie plates (no food residue)
Aluminum baking pans and trays (no food residue)
Metal lids
Glass (all colors accepted)
Bottles
Jars
Corrugated cardboard should be placed in the BLUE cardboard dumpsters throughout campus.
On-campus residents are provided with a blue recycling bag to store recycling and bring to drop-off locations.
Flimsy (crunchy, packaging, wrappers) plastic is only recyclable at certain locations!
Hard plastic (more difficult to bend) is recyclable!
Number 1-7 on the recycling label is recyclable!
Milk cartons/cans/bottles should be rinsed before recycling
FOOD WASTE SHOULD NOT BE IN RECYCLING— THIS INCLUDES FOOD RESIDUE ON PLASTIC
Appalachian State University has been composting on campus since 1999 and has a lasting commitment to organics recycling. The facility is permitted in the state of NC as a Type III compost facility, which has the ability to accept yard/garden waste, wood waste, pre- and post-consumer food wastes including meats and dairy, as well as some manure and agricultural waste. This program began as a grassroots approach to food waste collection, and with the help of a local partner, Advanced Composting Technologies from Candler, NC, has developed into one of the most successful programs in the country.
In addition to the ability to process waste right here on campus through a closed loop system, this program has many added benefits with regard to research opportunities, internship potential, and a demonstration for other communities.
If you are interested in participating in this program you can choose your own compost collection container and are responsible for maintaining and emptying your own items into the collection carts. Old yogurt tubs, empty protein shake containers, or tupperware items work well for collection. Please do not bring off-campus materials onto campus for composting.
All leftover food
Empty pizza boxes
Paper to-go boxes, napkins, paper towels, wax deli paper
Coffee filters & grounds
Items labeled “compostable”
Tea bags
All leftover food (muffins, bagels, etc.)
Muffin wax paper wrappers
Coffee shop cups/lids (iced and hot)
Napkins
Straws from dining halls/coffee shops
Campus Pepsi cups
Wooden stirrers
Sugar packets
App State’s industrial composting facility accepts items that some home composting systems cannot, such as meats, dairy and post-consumer plastic.
Plastics not labeled “compostable” should NEVER be placed in compost bins.
Common contaminants include single-use plastics (cream cheese/jam packets, plastic utensils, etc.).
Wooden utensils can be composted, but plastic utensils without the “compostable” label cannot be placed in compost bins.
Single Use Disposable Items
Disposable Cups
Drink lids and straws
Plastic Forks, knives, spoons, sporks
Condiment packets and cups
Paper Plates
Food Waste (please COMPOST where available)
Hygiene items such as used napkins, paper towels and tissues
Saran Wrap
Foil snack bags
Plastic snack packaging and Ziploc bags
Chips and candy wrappers
String / Twine
Styrofoam
Incandescent light bulbs
Ceramics, mirrors, pyrex glass
Hazardous waste (paint, glues, pesticides, etc)
Plastic film recycling (plastic grocery bags, plastic wraps such as bread bags, shrink wrap, plastic packaging, bubble wrap)
NO FOOD RESIDUE! These items must be clean and dry! Can also be dropped off at the Office of Sustainability in the basement of East Hall
Computer equipment
CDs and DVDs
Cell phones and accessories
Techno-trash (storage devices, floppy disks, hard drives, zip disks, i-pods, empty print cartridges, cables, cords, circuit boards, video tapes, PDA's, etc.)
Batteries
Printer cartridges
CFL bulbs (place in sealed plastic bag and drop off at the information desk)
Computer equipment
CDs and DVDs
Cell phones and accessories
Techno-trash (storage devices, floppy disks, hard drives, zip disks, i-pods, empty print cartridges, cables, cords, circuit boards, video tapes, PDA's, etc.)
Batteries
Printer cartridges
CFL bulbs (place in sealed plastic bag and drop off at the information desk)
Plastic grocery bags and plastic packaging
These can be recycled separately through our plastic film recycling program and can be brought to the student union special recycling area or the Office of Sustainability (bottom of East Hall). Please DO NOT place these in your mixed recycling bins as they must be kept clean and dry in order to be recycled!
Plastic wraps (bread bags and shrink wrap)
Plastic package inserts (please pop to remove air first)
Bubble wrap
Crossroads Coffee Shop— inside Plemmons Student Union
Leon Levine Hall— on the loading dock
Poplar Grove Child Development Center— outside the dumpster enclosure
Miles Annas Building— inside dumpster enclosure
Office of Sustainability— outside 1st floor of East Hall
Beans 2 Brew coffee shop— on 2nd floor of Peacock Hall
Reich College of Education— service area near the dumpsters
Trivette Plaza— at the door facing Thunder Hill residence hall
Wired Scholar coffee shop— inside Belk Library
Plemmons Student Union— loading dock
North End Zone— dumpster enclosure
Garwood Hall— service area next to Rivers Street parking deck
Mountain Laurel Hall— near Fermentation Sciences
Appalachian Heights— Trash dumpster and recycling rollcarts located behind App Heights
Belk Hall— Trash dumpster and recycling rollcarts behind Belk
Cannon Hall and Dogwood Hall— Trash dumpster and recycling rollcarts are located in-between Cannon and Dogwood
Cone Hall and Summit Hall— Trash dumpster and recycling roll carts are located behind Summit, next to Cone
Doughton Hall— Trash dumspter and recycling rollcarts are located in-between Doughton and Dogwood
Elkstone Hall— Trash dumpster and recycling carts are located in-between Elkstone and Cannon
Frank Hall— Trash dumpster and in-between Frank and the Stadium Parking Deck
Living Learning Center (LLC)— Trash dumpster and recycling carts are located behind the LLC
Mountain Laurel Hall— Trash dumpster and recycling carts are located behind Mountain Laurel
Mountaineer Hall— Trash dumpster and recycling carts are located behind Mountaineer
Newland Hall— Trash dumpster and recycling carts are in-between Newland and Wey Hall
White Hall— Trash dumspter and recycling carts are in-between White and Doughton
Laurel Creek Hall, Raven Rocks Hall and Thunder Hill— Trash dumpster and recycling carts are behind Thunder Hill, between the round about and Trivette
New River Hall— Trash and recycling compactors are located behind New River and behind Garwood Hall.
Trash dumpster and recycling carts for Laurel Creek, Raven Rocks and Thunder Hill, located behind Thunder Hill, between the round about and Trivette