1. ISU Recycling Vision Statement
“Our passionate concern for the environment inspires us to have sustainable reduce, reuse, recycle programs, which generate an environmentally conscious Iowa State University community.”
For more information contact ISU Recycling at or visit our web site at
August 2009

2. Recycling at ISU Campus recycling started in 1992
White paper recycling
Expanded to include: Phone books, Newspaper, Corrugated cardboard, and Confidential paper.
We engage local partners
International Paper
Iron Mountain
Ames Area Redemption Center
Bikes at Work, a local bicycle delivery service.

3. Paper Product Recycling
White Paper
Newspaper
Cardboard
Phone Books
Confidential Document Destruction

4. White Paper Recycling Collect from 106 campus buildings
Most offices/individuals and many classrooms/labs are provided with small desk-side bin
Weekly, custodial staff take large bins to a central collection point and Campus Services staff collect the paper in a packer truck.
Paper is delivered to International Paper of Des Moines
Average 11 Tons per Month

5. White Paper Recycling Volumes

6. Newspaper Recycling Collect from 36 campus buildings
Bikes at Work collects the newspapers, checking each location several times per week
Newspapers collected are recycled by International Paper out of Des Moines
USA TODAY provides and empties newspaper recycling bins in 16 Residence Halls
Average 8 Tons per Month

7. Newspaper Recycling Volumes

8. Cardboard Recycling Collect Cardboard from 50 Campus buildings
Cardboard is collected by Ames Area Redemption
Collection per building is based on volumes generated
This free collection service saves ISU nearly $1,275 per month in refuse disposal expenses
Our vendor estimates collecting 17 Tons per month

9. Phone Book Recycling
Volunteers (students and staff) collect phone books from 79 pick-up locations
Phone Books are recycled by International Paper out of Des Moines
This volunteer service saved ISU nearly $1,200 in refuse disposal expenses
16 Tons were collected December 2008

10. Phone Book Recycling Volumes

11. Confidential Document Destruction
Collect from 52 campus buildings
Iron Mountain collects and delivers materials to their facility in Des Moines
Material is shredded, baled and stored until shipped to a paper mill for recycling
Average 5 Tons per Month

12. Document Destruction Volumes

13. FY09 Recycling Volumes 124.36 Tons White Paper 61.87 Tons Newspaper
210.00
Tons Cardboard
15.49
Tons Phone Books
72.37
Tons Confidential Paper
484.09
Tons Recycled FY09

14. Resources Conserved in FY09
8,229
Trees
3,388,630
Gallons of Water
29,045
Lbs of Air Pollution
1,984,769
kW Hours of Electricity
1,597
cu yd of Landfill Space

15. Other ISU Recycling Programs

16. Computer Monitor and Fluorescent Lamp Recovery/Recycling for 2008
44,610 Fluorescent Lamps
605 Monitors

17. Recycled 40 tons of E-Scrap in 2008

18. ISU Surplus
Provides an outlet for departmental reuse, resale, and redistribution of excess equipment and furniture
Departmental sale every Tuesday from 10 a.m until noon
Last year, $250,000 of usable assets were returned to service in other university departments
ISU Surplus is located at 1102 Southern Hills Drive

19. University Compost Facility
Original compost site opened in 1993
In 2002, site moved to ISU Dairy Farm on Mortensen Rd
The University Compost Facility moves to the new Dairy Facility in 2009
Divert 605 tons of yard waste
ISU Farms will provide 21,000 tons of animal waste
An estimated 600 tons of dining food waste will be composted in the future

20. University Compost Facility cont.
Compost site will produce usable compost within three months
Generate approximately 10,500 tons of finished compost per year
All compost will be used on campus
Construction projects will use as a soil amendment to improve final topsoil quality
Campus Services will use as a soil amendment, top dressing, incorporating it into all campus landscaping projects

21. Construction Project Recycling
Towers Demolition
98% of the concrete was recycled
60,000 tons concrete used at the new Dairy Facility
98% non-concrete materials removed and recycled
Jack Trice Stadium West Concourse Project
85% materials from old concession buildings recycled
Concrete, Steel, Copper, Bathroom Stalls, etc.

22. Other Recycling Programs on Campus
Chemical/Brown Bottles
Chemical Redistribution Program
Free Wood/Pallet Program
Ink jet and Toner Cartridges
Oil Filters, Used Oil, Tires, Batteries
Power Plant Ash
Rechargeable Batteries
Scrap Metal
Shrink Wrap
Trees to furniture Program

23. City of Ames Arnold O. Chantland Resource Recovery Plant

24. What do they do there?
They turn garbage in to energy!

25. How do they do that?
Garbage from Story County is delivered to the plant
Dry/Wet refuse is mixed and pushed onto a conveyer which transports the garbage to the shredder room
Ferrous metal is attracted to the pick-up magnet, and pulled away from the waste stream
Abrasive grit and dust is removed and the garbage moves to the secondary shedder
The combustible pieces of refuse are blown into a coal utility boiler

26. Facts about the Resource Recovery Plant
65% of the waste received is turned into fuel
Saved over 80 acres of Iowa farmland from becoming a landfill
Over a 25-year period, processed enough refuse to fill Hilton Coliseum more than 453 times
Processed over a million tons of solid waste since they opened in 1975
Recover enough metal to make 1,200 car bodies each year
Produce enough refuse-derived fuel to help heat more than 4,600 homes each year

27. Questions?

28. For more information contact ISU Recycling at recycling@iastate
For more information contact ISU Recycling at or visit our web site at