The mission of R.O.C.K.S. is to educate the community about solid waste issues, promote environmental awareness and economic growth through recycling and achieve diversion rates set by government through reduction, reuse, and recycling.

To participate in the Keene State College recycling program follow these steps.

1. Remain conscious. When you are finished with a soda can, newspaper, page of notes or whatever, hold on to it until you can deposit it in a recycling location.
2. Look for the collection places where you live and where you work or study. Recyclable materials include white paper, mixed paper (like junk mail, magazines, catalogs, phone books, softcover books), newspaper, cardboard (the kind with the wavy middle layer), boxboard (cereal, tissue, cracker boxes, without the wavy middle layer), glass, plastic, aluminum and tin cans. We also take textiles, hardcover books, batteries and fluorescent light bulbs. Read on for more information.
3. Put each recyclable in its designated storage location. Deposit trash only in regular waste containers.
4. Support people who recycle waste. Encourage those who do not yet recycle to join and participate.
5. Cut back on the purchase and use of materials which turn into waste. The less there is to begin with the less that must be saved, sorted and properly deposited.
6. Batteries and fluorescent bulbs contain materials hazardous to the environment and your health. Batteries should be disposed of in marked buckets available around campus. Please call R.O.C.K.S. at 603-358-2567 to dispose of fluorescent bulbs. The bulbs contain mercury in a powder form, so please don’t break them.
7. Textiles and books will be collected from every residence hall at the end of the semester in specially marked boxes. You can also bring them to the R.O.C.K.S. office. Call 603-358-2567 in advance and we’ll be here to take the stuff.
8. Rinse and remove caps from all food or beverage containers when possible. Flatten boxes.

We recycle in most of the buildings on campus. Each location may look slightly different, or take slightly different materials, but we try to tailor each site to the activities that occur there. Here's where you can find a list of schedule and locations.

Since the program's inception over thirty years ago, recycling has experienced significant growth. With the Keene landfill closed and replaced with a transfer station, our current trash disposal rate has increased to $120 per ton while recycled materials are disposed of at no charge. In an average week at Keene State we dispose of over 12 tons of trash and recycle an additional five tons. Clearly, the more we recycle, the more money we can reallocate for educational and residential programs. Please feel free to contact our office at any time. We are happy to do site inspections, answer questions, listen to new ideas and suggestions and try new things.