Business Services

What is accepted:

Collection Route:

• All food waste (including animal products)
• Coffee filters & tea bags
• Fibers (napkins, paper towels, pizza boxes, etc)
• Compostable serving ware (labeled as such)

Worm Bins:

• Non-animal food waste (no meat/dairy/eggs)
• Coffee filters & tea bags
• Napkins & paper towels

3-Bin Systems:

• Non-animal food waste (no meat/dairy)
• Coffee filters & tea bags
• Fibers (napkins, paper towels, pizza boxes, etc)
• Paper compostable serving ware (labeled as such, no compostable plastics)

How it is processed:

Compost is collected by Campus Recycling from all dining centers, and most coffee shops and restaurants on campus.  Some departments on campus collect compost in their break rooms as well.

Republic Services of Corvallis picks up the compost from the recycling warehouse and transports it to the Pacific Region Compost Facility (PRC), just north of town.  Commercial loads of compost (such as those from OSU) and residential loads are processed separately.

First, the organic material from OSU is shredded in a grinding machine. Next, the shredded material is transferred to a conveyor belt where pickers remove non-organic material such as plastic.

Organic material is shredded and any contamination is removed. Click to view larger.

Then, the organic material is put into piles and mixed with wood chips in order to get the ideal proportions of high and low nitrogen materials. While the material is decomposing, aeration tubes suck air through the piles.

Piles of compost are placed over aeration tubes. Click to view larger.

After the material is cured, it is sorted into different grades using machinery with conveyor belts and blowers. Any material that hasn’t been decomposed at this point goes back into the piles. The resulting compost is sold to nurseries (for resale), farms, and individuals.

Learn more about the PRC by watching this informational video.

Any materials collected at the Student Sustainability Center, ALS 3-Bin System, and in department worm bins are used by the people and/or organizations that maintain them.

Recycled product:

• Finished compost

Click to view larger.

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

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.

What is accepted:

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

• 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

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.