On Central Campus
At Iowa State University we use Single Stream Recycling. You can place your recycle materials (paper, plastic, metal and glass) into any blue recycling bin or Solar Compactor.
In the Residence Halls
Recycling in the Residential halls is voluntary. To get started, speak with your floor RA and they will get you a recycling bin.
Collect your materials in this bin. Please note if you use a plastic bag to collect your materials, the bag is not recyclable and will need to be ripped or dumped. DO NOT put bagged recycling in dumpsters. This creates a "tangling" at the MRF (Material Recovery Facility; "Murph"). Instead collect your recyclables in a box then you can send it all the recyclables and box to the MRF.
Recycling is picked up at Iowa State University weekly on Tuesdays.
In the City of Ames
While many apartments don't practice recycling you can inquire with your landlord to see if they might. In Ames this is an extra cost many landlords are not interested in taking on. The Ames Resource Recovery recycles Glass and Metals, while the paper and plastic are shredded and sent to the Electric plant to make energy to power Ames. This is step is called Recovery and is step four of the five step Waste Hierarchy.