Oregon State University
Search Menu
  • selectedAll of OSU



Skip navigation

Business Services

Recycling/Surplus – Repair Fair Wed. May 29: Free repairs and demonstrations

May 16th, 2013

Come to the Recycling Warehouse at 644 SW 13th Street on Wednesday, May 29th between the hours of 5:30 and 7:30 pm for our last Repair Fair of the year!

Bring your broken items and questions; volunteers will help you learn how to repair your things.

Save money, save natural resources and be part of a DIY and reuse culture. Free and open to all.

Clothing repair station

Volunteer Randi Ponce helps at the clothing repair station. Click to view larger.

Repair skills offered:

  • Appliances (small items only, please)
  • Bicycles
  • Clothing (hand and machine sewing)
  • Computers (hardware and software)
  • Electronics (small items only, please)
  • Housewares (furniture, lamps, ceramics, vacuums, etc.)
  • Jewelry
  • And more!

 

Repair demonstrations:

5:45-6:05 DIY Safe Pest Control: Ants & Fruit Flies – Learn how to minimize ants and fruit flies in your home, using natural methods. (Leaders: Lindsey Almarode, Campus Recycling Outreach Assistant and Jodie Davaz, Waste Watchers volunteer)

Bike workshop

Volunteer Kevin Grant leads a bike maintenance workshop at the April Repair Fair. Click to view larger.

6:15-6:45 Basic Bike Maintenance – Learn basic maintenance and repairs like fixing a flat tire and chain upkeep. Learn when you should take your bike to a professional, and learn what bike repair resources are available to you locally. (Leader: Jacob Kollen, SSI Transportation Projects Coordinator)

7:00-7:20 Don’t Just Spring Clean, Green Clean – More details coming soon. (Leaders: Kyle Reed, Campus Recycling Outreach Assistant and Amanda Abbott, Waste Watchers volunteer)

Additional event details:

Facebook event

We don’t have spare parts, but will do our best to repair what we can and/or refer you to where you could find the parts you need. If you have parts already, we may be able to help you install them.

RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook.

Map of location and parking

Map of location and parking. Click to view larger.

Directions: We are located on the corner of 13th St and A Ave at 644 SW 13th Street. Enter through the warehouse gates on 13th St., between the railroad tracks and A Ave. Also see the map to the right.

This event is organized by the student group Waste Watchers, a joint group of Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative. Repair Fairs occurred twice per term during the 2012-13 academic year, and this is the final one of the year. For more information, contact Andrea Norris via email or at 541-737-5398.

Video

Want to see what a Repair Fair is all about? View this video clip recap from a past fair:


YouTube Direct

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Recycle, Surplus | No Comments »

Recycling – Question of the Week: Repair Fair video

May 15th, 2013

reusable mugTime for our Question of the Week!

The first person to to answer correctly will win an OSU stainless steel mug like this one!

Submit your answer here (“Leave a Reply,” below) or on our Facebook page. Only one guess per person, please.

Question of the Week:

Our recently posted Repair Fair video clip (below) gives an overview of what this twice-per-term event is all about. What are the first and last names of the three people in the video who had items fixed at the fair?


YouTube Direct

Answer

Nicole Elliott, Alex Pederson and Uli Bartels. Watch the clip above to see what they had repaired.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Recycle | No Comments »

Recycling – Now hiring for a Student Design Assistant!

May 14th, 2013

Download the position description

Campus Recycling is now hiring for a Student Design Assistant to join our outreach team, to design and implement print and digital media.

Job Description

Job duties include:

Graphic design (constitutes 60% or more of work hours):

  • Designing, ordering and distributing print and digital media such as posters, fliers, recycle bin signs, newspaper ads, and graphics for digital use (website, blog, social media, TV slides, etc.)
  • Using OSU brand identity guidelines and/or templates to create media
  • Taking photos and/or recording video for marketing pieces or to capture events and activities

Other marketing:

  • Assisting in the development of marketing plans
  • Occasionally creating written content (blog posts, website information, event descriptions, etc.)
  • Occasionally staffing booths at events, providing event support, contributing to event planning, participating in volunteer meetings or assisting with other waste reduction outreach as needed

The successful applicant will start work by the start of fall term 2013 (Sept. 30), or can start in summer if available (any time on or after June 18).

The position is for 10-16 hours/week, at a starting wage of $9.50/hour. Applications are due Tuesday, May 28.

For a list of qualifications and application instructions, please download the full hiring announcement here (PDF).

Tags:
Posted in Recycle | No Comments »

Recycling – Behind the Scenes: Film Plastic

May 14th, 2013

What is accepted:

Clean film plastic free of contamination (food, dirt, paint, etc.) including:

Accepted Film Plastic

  • Cereal box liners
  • Grocery/bread/produce bags
  • Electronics wrap
  • Plastic shipping envelopes
  • Retail bags (strings removed)
  • Shrink wrap
  • Tyvek
  • Ziplock type bags
  • Other bags labeled #2 or #4

How it is processed:

Film plastic is picked up from departments by Campus Recycling on an as-needed basis. We send the film plastic, most of which is stretch wrap, to Garten Services.  At another facility, the different types of film plastic are hand-sorted with other like films. It is exported to China to be made back into plastic film, sheeting, toys, furniture, and sometimes car parts.

Recycled products:

  • Plastic film and sheeting
  • Toys
  • Furniture
  • Automotive parts
film-plastic-behind the scenes

Click to view larger.

Learn more about how to recycle this material from our Tip of the Week on special recyclables.

This post is part of our “Behind the Scenes” blog series, which details what happens to OSU’s recycling after you place it in a recycle bin. Tune in every week to learn more.

Tags: ,
Posted in Recycle | No Comments »

Recycling – Waste Watchers Spotlight: Kyle Reed

May 13th, 2013

Name: Kyle Reed

Title: Reedcycler

Major: Biology (with an option in Marine)

Year: 1st Year

When did you start volunteering with the Waste Watchers?

I began volunteering with the Waste Watchers almost immediately upon arriving at OSU during this last Fall term.

What has been your favorite project or event that the Waste Watchers have been involved in?

All of the projects have been immensely fun, although I particularly enjoyed creating Jellyfish sculptures out of recycled plastic. I love being able to express good principles and ideas through unconventional or creative means.

What are the main ways you reduce waste at home or at school?

As a general rule, I try to avoid having anything that might produce waste to begin with. What does have a by-product is most-often recyclable or compostable, so as to minimize what trash I might have.

What would you like to see the Waste Watchers do in the future?

I would love to see us continue to reach out to the community, making even stronger connections and maybe even participating in events that might not directly seem related to waste reduction, just to demonstrate the wide variety of fields, areas, and topics that waste reduction affects in some manner.

If you could change one thing at OSU that relates to waste reduction, what would it be?

Given the resources, as well as an understanding and amiability on the students’ part, I would enact a campus-wide composting program that would strive to eliminate food waste and other biodegradable substances. I simply feel dreadful watching things waste away.

Tags: ,
Posted in Recycle | No Comments »

Recycling – What are the Repair Fairs? Watch the video and save the date for May 29!

May 10th, 2013

Have you heard about the Repair Fairs? If not, be sure to watch our video which gives an inside look:

The video was filmed by Waste Watcher Jodie Davaz at the February Repair Fair.

Be sure to mark your calendars, for we will be holding our last Repair Fair of the year on Wednesday, May 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.. Learn more at the calendar and Facebook pages. We hope to see you there!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Recycle, Surplus | No Comments »

Recycling – Behind the Scenes: Toner & Ink Cartridges

May 9th, 2013

What is accepted:

  • All types of toner and ink cartridges

Toner & Ink Cartridges

How they are processed:

Toner and ink jet cartridges are picked up from departments by Campus Recycling on an as-needed basis. We send them to Garten Services, where they are packaged either individually or carefully placed together in boxes to minimize the chance of damage.

From there, they are shipped to The Cartridge Recycling Center (CRC) in Pennsylvania. The cartridges that have value for resale are refilled and resold.

The ones that don’t have resale value are recycled. The cartridges go through a plastic grinding system that employs granulators (machines that chop up the plastic), magnets, and wash lines to make a market-ready commodity. Depending on the resin of plastic, the plastic is made into car parts, toys, furniture, and outdoor lumber.

Recycled products:

  • Refilled ink and toner cartridges
  • Automotive parts
  • Toys
  • Furniture
  • Outdoor lumber
Behind the Scenes: Ink & Toner Cartridges

Click to view larger.

Learn more about how to recycle this material from our Tip of the Week on special recyclables.

This post is part of our “Behind the Scenes” blog series, which details what happens to OSU’s recycling after you place it in a recycle bin. Tune in every week to learn more.

Tags: ,
Posted in Recycle | No Comments »

Recycling – Question of the Week: Why do you recycle?

May 8th, 2013

reusable sporkTime for our Question of the Week!

The first three people to answer will win an OSU reusable spork like this one!

Submit your answer here (“Leave a Reply,” below) or on our Facebook page. Only one prize per person will be awarded, but multiple responses are welcome!

Question of the Week:

Fill in the blank: “I recycle because _____.”

Answers

Thank you to everyone who answered on our Facebook page:

I care about the planet and the future generations. -Sequoia Lockhart
I recycle because it’s better to use materials that have already been harvested rather than harvest new materials! Go Green! -Robyn Salerno
I want to leave a better world for those who come after me. -Shawn Tucker
I recycle because I understand I make a difference. -Lisa Kilbourne

Tags: ,
Posted in Recycle | No Comments »

Recycling – Behind the Scenes: Styrofoam and Packing Peanuts

May 7th, 2013

What is accepted:

  • Styrofoam blocks (no food containers)
  • Packing peanuts

Accepted Styrofoam

How it is processed:

Packing peanuts, most often made of Styrofoam or a corn-based plastic, are not recycled, but instead reused by Surplus Property for shipping purposes.  As a result, Surplus rarely has to buy new packing peanuts.

Styrofoam blocks are collected in 1,000 gallon bags and sent to Total Reclaim in Portland.  Once there, the Styrofoam is put into a densifying machine.  This compacts the Styrofoam into a compact stackable block. Click play on the video below to see this process in action.


YouTube DirectStyrofoam Densifyer

A 53-foot trailer full of Styrofoam fits into a gaylord box (a 3.3′ x 4′ x 3.4′ box that holds about 1.7 cubic-yards) once it is compacted. Next, Total Reclaim ships the blocks to a company in California where the plastic is melted down.  It is sold as low-grade plastic to manufacturers in the U.S. and in China.

Recycled products:

The low-grade plastic can be made into things like toothbrush handles and picture frames.

Styrofoam: What does it become?

Click to view larger.

Learn more about how to recycle this material from our Tip of the Week on special recyclables.

This post is part of our “Behind the Scenes” blog series, which details what happens to OSU’s recycling after you place it in a recycle bin. Tune in every week to learn more.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Recycle | No Comments »

Recycling – April Repair Fair Recap

May 6th, 2013

Blue skies did not keep the broken items at bay for April’s Repair Fair. This month’s event brought a total of 42 attendees for both repairs and demonstrations, and a total of 30 items were successfully repaired. The item of interest that raised the most eyebrows this time was a model ship, whose bow had broken.

Model ship brought in for repairs.

Volunteer Phil Harding repairs the bow of broken ship. Click to view larger.

If you are new to the recycling scene, the Repair Fair is an event offered twice a term at the Recycling Warehouse where participants from all around the Corvallis community may bring in broken or damaged items. Our volunteers will not only help fix the broken item, but will also impart the knowledge necessary to make similar repairs in the future.

Waste Watcher Annie Kersting provides sewing help during her presentation.

Waste Watcher Annie Kersting provides useful tips in her demonstration, “3 Common Sewing Fixes”. Click to view larger.

Demonstrations were also held at the event: Water Resources Specialist Mark Taratoot guided the audience through the necessary components for water conservation within their own home, Waste Watcher Annie Kersting gave some quick sewing tips, and volunteer Kevin Grant held a presentation about the basics of bike repair.

Want to see more? Check out the April Repair Fair photos on Facebook.

We would like to thank everyone who attended for helping make the event the experience that it was. We will have one additional Repair Fair this term, which is slated to be held towards the end of May.

If you have any feedback about how we might improve this event, or comments on how it went, email us at Student.Recycling@oregonstate.edu.

Repair Fair Video

Want more? View the video below, which was filmed at the February Repair Fair:


YouTube Direct

Tags: , ,
Posted in Recycle, Surplus | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries

Recent posts

Archives

May 2013
M T W T F S S
« Apr    
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

  • Categories

  • Popular Tags

    • Powered by Orange website
  • 42,481 spam blocked by Akismet

    • Copyright ©2013
    Oregon State University
    Disclaimer

  • Blogroll