RecycleMania
RecycleMania is a friendly recycling competition among colleges and universities across the United States. During 10 weeks each spring, schools compete to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables or the least amount or trash per capita, or to see who has the highest recycling rate. This year’s competition began Jan. 18, the college will file its first report by Wednesday, Jan. 28.

This is JCCC’s first year to participate in RecycleMania, so this year we won’t be part of the competition. Instead, we’ll set our standards. But watch out for next year – we’ll be playing for keeps!

Help save our natural resources by recycling paper, plastic bottles and cans in the bins located throughout the campus. Learn more about RecycleMania.

Benefits
At JCCC, by recycling paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and aluminum cans, you not only help the environment – you help support students. The proceeds the college receives from all forms of recycling go to the Foundation to support scholarships. Since 1992, more than $42,000 has been raised for scholarships from all of the college’s recycling efforts. 

Your efforts to recycle will help the college meet its climate commitment and support students. Below is a description of what currently can be recycled at JCCC. The college’s sustainability committee is investigating what can be done to increase the amount of recycling and the ease with which it can be done. 

For the location of recycling containers, contact Housekeeping at gcook5@jccc.edu.

Plastic bottles and aluminum cans
To recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans, place them in the domed containers in the hallways. Housekeeping empties these as needed and take the contents to a large container at the Warehouse. At this time, recycled plastic bottles are not sorted from aluminum cans; the college hopes to be able to do that in the future.

Paper
Recycle paper in the gray containers in the hallways. Each container is labeled as to the type of paper to be deposited there.

One container is for

• white computer
• copier paper (even if you’ve printed in color on the white paper, recycle it in this bin)
• shredded white computer or copier paper

The other is for

• color paper, encompassing printed material such as brochures, fliers and postcards
• notebook paper
• envelopes
• catalogs
• magazines
• phone books
• newsprint
• NCR forms
• manila folders
• binder covers
• shredded color paper

You are responsible for placing paper in the bins to be recycled; Housekeeping staff usually does not remove paper from the offices. If anything other than recyclable paper is placed in the pins (such as trash or food waste), the contents will not be recycled. If colored paper is placed in with white paper, all of it is recycled as colored paper, for which the college earns less. If you want to recycle magazines or booklets, you must remove non-paper bindings, such as plastic coils or plastic shrinkwrap. If you see that a recycling bin is full, please submit a service request to Campus Services so it can be emptied. Please note that since this is an additional duty for Housekeeping staff, it may take a day or so for the paper to be collected.

Shredded paper collected in Document Services (which provides shredding services for the campus) is also recycled. To recycle shredded paper from your office, place the plastic bags of shredded paper in the recycling bin for the appropriate kind of paper.

Paper towels, because they are made of recycled paper, cannot be recycled in these bins.

On a related note, most of the paper used in college offices has a pre-consumer waste component; some also has a post-consumer waste component. For now, the college’s presses have difficulty handling paper with a high recycled content; color coverage and paper feed can be affected.

Plastic bags
You can drop off plastic shopping bags (retail and grocery bags, newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags and all clean bags labeled with the #2 or #4 recycle label) at the JCCC Bookstore and C-Store for recycling. Food wrap (e.g., Saran Wrap) or film bags that have had direct contact with food or organic material may not be recycled. The recycling box is located directly in front of the Bookstore and C-Store on the first floor of the Student Center.

Cardboard
To recycle cardboard boxes at JCCC, flatten or break down the box and leave it next to the nearest recycling container. Housekeeping will pick up the cardboard and take it for recycling.

Hazardous materials
These hazardous materials are also recycled at JCCC:

• light bulbs
• solvents
• recovered silver
• tires
• used motor oil
• used vegetables oils
• mercury

Recycling of batteries is being explored.

Other items
Document Services recycles the aluminum plates used in printing.

Office Max, the college’s supplier, has a program to take back packaging used in shipping.

The Warehouse recycles the pallets they use.

The Bookstore staff reuses shipping boxes and packing materials for vendor returns, online student textbook reservations and e-commerce shipping.

Dell refurbishes and resells the college’s outdated computer equipment. JCCC receives between 70 and 80 percent of the resale dollars.

Printer and copier toner cartridges may be sent to the Warehouse for recycling (please use the box the cartridges came in). Purchasing has had difficulty finding a company that will consistently accept toner and is investigating the possibility of using re-manufactured toner cartridges, although there are issues with quality and company warranties. There is no toner cartridge recycling program for the Kyocera copiers.