Recycling Program
Amount of items recovered for recycling in 2012
964 tons
Resources Collected
Items are collected in categories: white paper, mix paper, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, newsprint, telephone books, magazines/catalogs, aluminum, tin, glass, lab glass, plastic, chipboard, and e-waste.
When was the program established?
Caltech's commitment to waste reduction and recycling spans over 40 years. In the early 1960s a small recycling program was run by a number of volunteer graduate students. In 1979, one of the student volunteers, Prof. Judith Cohen, returned to campus as a faculty member and petitioned the administration to establish a recycling center. The recycling center was run by Prof. Cohen and a number of student volunteers.
Eventually, in 1989, a group of students created the Caltech Environmental Task Force (CETF). However, school and workload demands created challenges, and in order to continue with a consistent program, the Campus Recycling Program operations became the responsibility of the Buildings and Grounds Department. A recycling facility was built in 1993, and the recycling program has continued to divert waste resources from the landfill and serve as a model for other organizations.
Program Goals
• Minimize the overall quantity of waste generated.
• Minimize the negative environmental impacts of solid-waste management.
• Maximize campus community involvement.
• Educate the campus community to reduce, repair, reuse, and recycle.
• Improve measurements and standardize reporting practices.
• Integrate source-reduction, reuse, repair, and recycling programs into all phases of
campus activities.
• Develop waste reduction programs to divert 75% of the waste stream from the landfill by
2015.
How is the program administered?
Recycling on campus is provided by the Buildings and Grounds department. Two recycling specialists, one lift-truck, and a forklift are utilized to collect recyclables from campus buildings and consolidate the items in the recycling center. The recyclables are processed by Allan Company.
Buildings on campus have recycling bins. These bins are found in hallways, offices, laboratories, lunchrooms, mailbox, and photocopy areas. All bins are emptied by recycling personnel weekly. Cardboard recycling containers are located next to garbage dumpsters throughout the campus.
Office staff is also provided with small wastebasket size containers to store recyclable material, and are responsible for taking their material to the nearest recycling bin.
Requests for recycling bins should be directed to the Building and Grounds Department at (626) 395-4738. Please specify the type of bin needed.
Computer Equipment Recycling
Computer equipment recycling is provided to campus personnel only. Individuals who have items for recycling should contact transportation at (626) 395-4703, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., to make arrangements for pick up of the items. Computer equipment is not to be left on loading docks or dumpster areas as computer monitors need to be handled through the hazardous waste program.
E-waste collection from the community is available on the first Wednesday of each month at the Recycling Center between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon.
How are students, faculty, and staff educated?
A variety of outreach programs are used to educate the campus community about reducing, reusing, and recycling; such as new student and employee orientation, the student's newspaper, and a number of campus sustainability events.
Recycling Center Location
The Recycling Center is located in building 125 (see campus map) is open for use by the campus community and the public. (Access to the center is through the parking lot north of Broad Center; entrances are located off of Michigan and Wilson). Recycling Center Layout.
Hours of Operation
Monday-Friday - 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Weekends - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Items Accepted
White paper, newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, colored paper, lab glass, high density plastic (HDPE), California Redemption Value (CRV), CRV aluminum, CRV glass, CRV plastic, magazines, phone directories, and tin.
Recycling Dos and Don'ts
| Material | Do Include | Do NOT Include |
| White Paper | Bond white paper, computer paper, letterhead stationery, calculator tape, photocopies, typing and white scratch paper, and paper with black and blue ink only | Envelopes with plastic windows, fax carbonless (NCR) paper, post-it notes, catalogs |
| Mixed Paper | Colored bond paper and colored photocopy, envelopes, file folders, fax paper, post-it notes, posterboard |
White bond paper, magazines, telephone books, newspaper, cardboard |
| Newsprint | Newspaper only | No plastic bags, plastic ties, wire, string, telephone books |
| Aluminum CRV | Most soda cans | No aluminum foil, metal, tin cans, scrap metal |
| Tin | Most food cans (rinse first) | No aluminum foil, metal, motor oil cans |
| Glass | Most food and beverage containers | No window glass, pyrex, lab glass, led glass, mirror glass, ceramics |
| Cardboard | Corrugated cardboard boxes (cut or flattened) | No particle board, poster board, cereal boxes, chip board |
| Magazines/Catalogs | Magazines, catalogs, glossy or coated paper, ground wood content paper | No telephone books |
| Lab Glass | Lab bottles and Pyrex glass only (triple-rinse) |
Regular glass, CRV glass |
| Telephone Books | Telephone books and campus directories only | Magazines or catalogs |
| Plastic | Most beverage containers. Sort in containers by grade 1-7. Rinse whenever possible |
No motor oil containers |
| Chip Board | Most cardboard, juice boxes, food/Cereal containers | No corrugated cardboard |
For more information about the Caltech Recycling Program, call the following:
Buildings and Grounds telephone numbers (626) 395-4738 or (626) 395-4481.
