Oregon State University
OP-18: Waste Diversion

Surplus Program Weights for material reused, donated, or re-sold (i.e. processed through OSU Surplus Property) are not taken upon transfer, but we made a conservative estimate of the material processed and included it in the figure above. This means that the amount of total waste diverted is higher than represented above. Our surplus program is well-established in our state, and we sell used items to departments, agencies, non-profits and the general public (at our once weekly public sales). This accounts for a substantial amount of materials diverted from the landfill. In FY12 the sales volume of surplus items was $868,791. Recycling Program As stated on our website, "Campus Recycling is responsible for managing a comprehensive waste management system that focuses on reducing, reusing and recycling with disposal as a last resort." In addition to collecting recyclables from all campus buildings, Campus Recycling also sponsors an annual donation drive in the residence halls during move-out week. In June 2012, we collected 7,932 lbs of house wares, 2,517 lbs of food and toiletries, 5,252 lbs of clothing and bedding, and 4,421 lbs of scrap wood. Campus Recycling further reduces waste by providing event recycling as a free service for all campus events, and serving as a resource to event organizers who seek to plan sustainable events. Composting Successful composting at OSU has been the result of lasting partnerships between departments within OSU and Republic Services. Kitchen waste from University Housing and Dining Services and other campus eateries is collected by Republic Services and composted with yard debris. The finished compost is available for commercial and residential use in Corvallis. Compost is also collected from buildings around campus through our departmental compost program, which provides either a worm bin, or a bucket that building occupants empty into an outdoor cart. There is also an Earth Tub at the Student Sustainability Center, where people can donate their kitchen waste to be composted and used on-site in their permaculture garden. Other small, on-campus compost systems include a three-bin system run by a Crop and Soil Science class and a system maintained in our cooperative housing. Outreach Campus Recycling employs a full-time Outreach Coordinator and a part-time student outreach assistant. Outreach for recycling and composting occurs via educational events (RecycleMania, Earth Week, etc), tabling at events, public presentations and workshops, collaborative partnerships, social media, etc. We are the primary organizer of the annual Earth Week celebration, which brings together 40+ on- and off-campus environmental organizations to offer a week full of educational and engaging events, including a community fair and many others. Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative coordinate a student volunteer team called the Waste Watchers, which works on events and marketing, and provides leadership opportunities for students. Campus Recycling partners with Republic Services to coordinate a Master Recycler program for Linn and Benton counties in Oregon. This 8-week course educates community members about all aspects of waste reduction and is offered for free to anyone who volunteers for 30 hours after completion of the course. These Master Recyclers volunteer at OSU and in the community to educate others about waste reduction.

The weight of surplus items is not taken upon their transfer. To estimate this weight, we queried our sales database to pull a list of all items sold in FY12, determined the quantity of the most common items sold (e.g. desks, computers, etc.), and multiplied that by an average weight of said items. There were many categories of items we did not account for, so the resulting number is less than what we expect is the actual total of material reused by being processed through OSU Surplus Property. Data is from Campus Recycling (http://recycle.oregonstate.edu) and Surplus Property (http://surplus.oregonstate.edu).