As a strong supporter of recycling on campus, OSU encourages all event planners to consider implementing recycling at their events. Thank you for your interest!

Campus Recycling offers recycling for most cans/bottles, paper, cardboard, and glass, as well as containers for landfill trash and sometimes for compost.

waste station set-up

What Types of Bins Will I Need?

Don't know what type of containers are needed? Use the list below to better understand what kinds of waste materials will be generated at your event.

Recycling

(Full lists of acceptable items are on our recycle guide pages.)

  • Plastic bottles
  • Plastic jugs
  • Metal cans
  • Glass bottles
  • Brochures, fliers, other literature, etc.
  • Paperboard boxes
  • Corrugated cardboard boxes

Compost

  • All food, coffee grounds and filters, and tea bags
  • Napkins and paper towels
  • See the composting section below for details regarding if serving ware may be collected

Trash

  • Cups, lids, straws, utensils, and most other disposable serving ware
  • Condiment packets, wrappers, snack bags, foil
  • Plastic bags and wrap
  • Other materials not listed as accepted in recycling and compost bins

The request form can also help you understand what types of waste will be generated at your event.

Composting at Your Event

If you are interested in providing compost services at your event, please read the guidelines below closely to ensure they are feasible for you.

  1. Any event collecting compost must provide waste station monitors. Monitors are responsible for instructing attendees on which materials are acceptable for composting, recycling, and trash/landfill.
  2. The only serving ware that can potentially be collected for composting are Chinet™ brand molded fiber plates and bowls. Below is the policy for collecting these materials:
    1. Look for the following traits to find these approved products: Chinet™ brand, “molded fiber” and plates and bowls only.
    2. Composting of serving ware is only permitted where these types of plates and bowls are being used.
    3. We understand there are many products on the market that claim to be compostable. The products detailed above are the only serving ware items approved for composting on campus. Other plate and bowl products and other types of serving ware are not allowed. This means if you need other types of serving ware, you can either only collect plate scrapings and napkins or can have station monitors separate the plates and bowls into composting and other serving ware into trash.

These guidelines prevent contamination of compost at OSU, help us comply with our compost policy, and ensure that organic materials can be properly processed into a rich and usable soil amendment!

If you wish to provide compost at your event, please select the "Compost and Zero Waste" option on the request form.

If you have questions or need advice regarding how to incorporate these guidelines or training your waste station monitors, please contact John Deuel, via email or at 541-737-2856.

Waste Container Signs

Whether you are requesting containers from our department or using ones onsite, proper labeling is a key way to ensure the right materials end up in each bin. To assist you, below are downloadable waste bin signs tailored to the OSU Corvallis campus.

There are three to a page for a finished sign size that should fit most receptacles. We recommend placing signs along the line of sight of attendees who are at the bin about to dispose of their materials (at the bin opening or on top of the lid).

Fees

Fees are collected to cover the cost of labor, fuel, and waste disposal:

  • $10 per waste container (recycling, compost, and/or trash)
  • $25 per hour if there is contamination to be removed from waste containers

For example, if an event needs two waste stations, each with one recycle, compost, and trash cart, and the carts do not require contamination removal, the fee would be $60.

Request Event Services

All event waste services are coordinated with information you provide through our online request form. The form will ask you for the following information:

  • General contact info (i.e. host organization and funding)
  • General event info (e.g. date, time, location, projected attendance, etc.)
  • Types of waste expected - This section is about how many and what types of containers will be required. (These details can be provided at a later time, but we'll need to know at least 2 weeks before your event.)

Please submit the form at least 2 weeks in advance of your event. You will need about 10 minutes to fill it out.

Event Recycling Request Form Button
 

Guide For Low Waste Events

Campus Recycling partnered with a number of other OSU departments to develop a Guide for Low Waste Events. This document includes OSU-specific tips and resources for reducing plastic, paper, and food waste at your events in and around Oregon State University.

For More Information

Contact our Recycling Manager, John Deuel, via email or at 541-737-2856.