Items ACCEPTED for Mixed Recycling

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.

Recycling Tips

• 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

Composting on campus

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.

Items accepted 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

Specific items accepted for on-campus coffee shop composting

• 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

Composting Tips

• 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.

Landfill Items NOT ACCEPTED for Mixed Recycling

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)

Special Recycling in Student Union

• Plastic film recycling (plastic grocery bags, plastic wraps such as bread bags, shrink wrap, plastic packaging, bubble wrap)

  1. • 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)

Special Recycling in Anne Belk Hall at Technology Support Services

• 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)

Where can I compost?

• 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

Where can I recycle? 

• 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.