Pallets and pruning material are now hauled behind the fire station on 35th Street and a tub grinder is brought in occasionally to grind the material into wood chips that are used in landscaping around campus. It goes from a product, to waste, and back to a useful product. Others in state government have noticed Oregon State's recycling efforts. The Department of Administrative Services monitors recycling efforts for nearly 50 state agencies, including OSU, Western Oregon University, Portland State University, and Oregon Health Sciences University. Oregon State is the only recycling program in that group to make money or recover its costs.
Students are real involved in our recycling effort.
They approved the fees to help pay for the recycling containers around campus. They are always looking for additional opportunities to recycle. Oregon State University has had some form of recycling on campus since 1970. Beginning as a volunteer organization that gathered paper from a few buildings on campus, Campus Recycling has evolved into a key part of a comprehensive waste management program. Along with paper, Campus Recycling collects cardboard, scrap wood, scrap metal and yard and landscape debris.