University Business Policies and Procedures Manual

6350
RECYCLING MATERIALS
Effective Date: November 1, 1991
Revised: 10/26/94, 08/01/06
Subject to Change Without Notice 

Authorized by Regents' Policy 7.9 "Property Management"

1. General

In accordance with the New Mexico State Solid Waste Act, The University of New Mexico has established and implemented a source separation and collection program for recyclable materials, including white paper, corrugated paper, newspaper, mixed/colored paper, aluminum, and yard waste. The objective of the program is to reduce waste and achieve minimal adverse impact on the air, water, and land through excellence in environmental control. The source separation and collection program, referred to as the University's Recycling Department assures the compliance of the New Mexico State Solid Waste Act by:

• assisting departments in reducing the amount of waste generated by operations;
• promoting the separation of recyclable and compost materials;
• assisting departments in the collection and storage of recyclable and compost materials;
• administering the sale and use of recyclable and compost products by arranging contracts with outside organizations;
• assisting departments in locating goods composed of recycled materials and composted products.

The University has appointed a Recycling Supervisor to conduct educational programs for students and employees about the Recycling Department. The Recycling Supervisor maintains monthly statistics on the Recycling Department. For information or instructions not covered herein, please contact the Recycling Supervisor.

2. Reduction of Waste

Departments should reduce the amount of waste generated by operations. Procedures that may reduce waste include the following:

• Use microfiche reports instead of paper reports.
• Continuously evaluate departmental reports for elimination of unnecessary reports.
• Reuse supplies such as campus envelopes, boxes, file folders, and scrap paper.
• Post information of interest to the department instead of making copies for each employee.
• Use electronic mail to eliminate the use of paper.
• Use the telephone when appropriate, instead of memoranda.
• Use on-line systems for information instead of paper generated reports.
• Use recyclable white paper made for blue print drawings.
• Use continuous fed paper instead of computerized reports bound with glue.

3. Separation of Recyclable Materials

The University will first consider reusing and recycling when classifying materials for disposal. Reusable and recyclable materials include materials such as glass, aluminum, mercury, paper, metal, corrugated cardboard, photographic film, X-rays, oil, cartridges, batteries, plastic, and composting materials. Although these recyclable materials have been identified, the Recycling Department may not currently address all of these materials. The University currently recycles mercury, some plastic products, paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, cooking and motor oil, batteries, styrofoam peanuts, and typewriter cartridges. The green waste collected for composting must be separated from contaminated waste.

3.1. Non Recyclable Items

The following items are non recyclable and should be placed in wastebaskets.

• paper contaminated with food products (such as lunch sacks, napkins, and kleenex)
• magazines printed on colored paper
• glossy paper, fax paper, and carbon paper
• paper treated with chemicals or glue (such as phone books)
• envelopes with plastic windows

3.2. Hazardous Materials

Departments must notify the Recycling Department if materials are radioactive, toxic, noxious, or otherwise hazardous. The Recycling Department then requests the University Occupational Safety Office to advise them on the method of disposal. Hazardous materials are not sold as recyclable items. Previous contents of empty drums must be noted, whether hazardous or not.

4. Collection of Recyclable Materials

Collection of recyclable materials is available to departments upon request. Departments requesting the collection of recyclable materials should contact the Recycling Department. The request should include department name, the departmental contact person, type of recyclable material, and estimated amount of material. Off campus entities may deliver recyclable material to the Recycling Department. Departments currently having recyclable materials picked up by outside organizations must coordinate these efforts with the Recycling Supervisor.

4.1. Collection of Recyclable Paper

Recyclable paper must be bound, stacked, or contained. Paper must be sorted by type and must not include the non recyclable items described in Section 3.1. herein. Departments are encouraged to deliver recyclable paper to the Recycling Department. If a department is unable to deliver the paper, call the Recycling Department to arrange for a pick up.

4.1.1. Recyclable paper is collected in University recycling containers. These containers are available to departments through the Recycling Department. The recycling containers come in various sizes and colors for the collection of particular types of materials. Departments should determine how many and what type of containers are necessary. Small and medium sized containers are for desk side collection and low usage areas. Paper collected in these containers may be emptied into the larger containers as needed. The large containers may be placed near copiers, printers, and areas convenient for multi-department collection. The blue container is for white paper only, the yellow container is for colored paper only, and the white container is for newspapers only. Corrugated paper may be flattened and stacked for pick up by or delivery to the Recycling Department.

4.2. Collection of Compost

The University Physical Plant Department, under the supervision of the Recycling Department, will collect green waste, such as trees, brush trimmings, and leaves. The green waste will be placed into a designated city roll-off container and transported for shredding.

5. Sale and Processing of Recyclable Materials

5.1. Sale of Recyclable Materials by the Recycling Department

The Recycling Department will ensure that all recyclable items are sold to established dealers based on competitive bids where practical. The Recycling Supervisor reviews market prices to obtain maximum sales revenue. A recycling dealer will be contracted by bid on a fiscal year basis and must meet the specifications outlined in the proposed bid. Proceeds from the sale of recyclable materials will help to support the Recycling Department. Compost is not sold. The Recycling Department will arrange to convert non contaminated green waste to be shredded into a safe compost product. The compost will be reused on campus.

5.2. Sale of Recyclable Materials by Departments

Departments can arrange for the sale and processing of recyclable materials such as aluminum, glass, and plastic. These efforts must be coordinated with the Recycling Department.

5.3. Processing of Recyclable Materials

All recyclable materials are processed by outside organizations. This process allows for the basic ingredient(s) to be reused. Outside organizations will pick up recyclable materials from the Recycling Department's warehouse and other designated locations upon request. Outside organizations must provide the University with information on the amount of the University's recyclable materials processed by them and provide a Certificate of Destruction to the Recycling Department.

Departments must contact the Recycling Department to arrange for the processing of compost materials, such as trees, brush trimmings, and leaves. All compost is processed by an outside organization. This process allows for the basic ingredient(s) to be reused. The compost will be collected by the Physical Plant Department and transported to an outside facility for shredding.

6. Procurement of Recycled Materials

The University encourages departments to purchase and use recycled materials whenever possible. Departments should contact the Recycling Supervisor for assistance in locating suitable recycled supplies at a competitive price. Many products composed of recycled materials are available, including the following.

• paper and paper products
• plastic and plastic products
• glass and glass products
• motor oil, lubricants, and vehicle tires
• construction materials, including insulating materials and paving materials
• furnishings, including rugs, carpets, and furniture
• highway equipment, including signs, signposts, reflectors, guardrails, lane dividers, and barricades
• compost

6.1. On Campus Providers

The University Bookstore sells recycled plastic and paper items. The University Printing Plant sells recycled paper products.

6.2. Off Campus Providers

The University Purchasing Department and the Recycling Department can locate vendors off campus that offer recycled items or composted products. The Purchasing Department will assure departments that materials to be purchased are equal in quality. They also will ensure that the materials are offered at a price not more than five percent (5%) higher than materials not composed of recycled materials.

Comments may be sent to UBPPM@UNM.edu
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