Involving Master Recyclers in Your Event

Thank you for your interest in diverting waste at your event!

Please note that the availability of Master Recyclers (MRs) to staff waste stations at your event is limited and not guaranteed. MRs are asked to complete at least 30 hours of service after completion of the course that not only reduces waste and/or provides community education, but also provides an educational experience for themself. Due to the latter requirement, MRs are invited to staff waste stations a couple times but discouraged from performing this activity for a large proportion of their payback hours. Additionally, MRs are volunteers who select their own payback opportunities, so there is no guarantee that your shifts and stations will be fully covered by MRs.

Due to these reasons, we encourage you to pursue the following:

  1. Recruit other/additional volunteers to staff the waste stations at your event.
  2. Request a MR volunteer to serve as the lead volunteer - the person who provides training and leadership for other waste station volunteers. We also invite requests for a MR volunteer to help plan the waste diversion/reduction efforts at your event.

Requirements for Recycling or Composting

Please know that it is mandatory for all waste stations to be staffed at all times, unless otherwise indicated by the waste collector. This is required so that there is little to no contamination of recycling and/or composting. If you cannot acquire enough Master Recycler volunteers, we encourage you to recruit community members who can help with waste diversion at your event, as indicated above.

Once you have the details of your event set, please submit a request (for volunteers and/or services) at least 6 weeks in advance. The details, and who to send them to, are listed below. After submitting this information, Master Recycler class facilitators will determine if your request is appropriate for volunteers and will help you with the type of disposal services you’re requesting. Please allow up to a week to process this request.

How to Get Started

Request Master Recycler Volunteers

To request MR volunteer(s) for your event, please provide the following details:

  • Date(s)
  • Time(s) or shift(s)
  • Location
  • Short description of the role to be filled, including if you are recruiting a planning volunteer, onsite lead volunteer and/or waste station attendants
  • How to sign-up (e.g. contact info, sign-up form, etc.)
  • Contact information for questions and details  

If your event is on the OSU Corvallis campus, please email the request to John Deuel. For all other events in Linn and Benton Counties, please contact Kenny Larson of Republic Services via email.

Request Waste Bins

If you need to request bins for your event, please visit this page for OSU Corvallis campus events. For all other events, please contact Kenny Larson of Republic Services via email.

Composting Food at Your Event

Policies do exist for event composting, both on and off campus in Linn and Benton Counties. All food is acceptable for composting, and a limited selection of compostable products. It is important to note that not all compostable products will break down in commercial composting facilities, even if marked as such; thus it is required that items are pre-approved before use at your event. Please reach out early in your event planning so as not to inadvertently buy products that aren’t accepted.

Once you’ve identified the needs for your event, reach out to one of the contacts below, with at least 6 weeks advance notice. We can help you discern whether your potential products list is approved, help you find alternatives if not, and work with you on the size and quantity of food waste containers you’ll need.

For events on the OSU campus, please see here. For all other events, email Kenny Larson of Republic Services.