Keene State College

R.O.C.K.S.

Facts & F.A.Q's

How recycling affects the earth

Recycling conserves energy and natural resources while reducing pollution.
Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy used to make the material from scratch. That means 20 cans out of recycled material can be made with the same energy it takes to make one out of new material.
Making aluminum cans from recycled aluminum cuts air related pollution by 95%.
Recycling steel and tin cans saves on the average 60% of the energy used to produce them from raw materials.
Other benefits of recycling steel and tin include the reduction of air pollution, energy use, and mining waste.
Recycling one ton of paper conserves 17 mature trees
Recycling white paper reduces bleach use which cuts down on dioxins in the water.
Keene State College currently pays $118 per ton to dispose of waste at the Keene Transfer Station. For each ton of material the college recycles it saves $118. This savings is referred to as an avoided disposal cost.
During the 2008 academic year, Keene State College generated over 994 tons, or 1,988,000 pounds, of waste. We recycled 233 tons, (over 466,000 pounds) and landfilled over 761 tons of the materials (over 1,522,000 pounds).
Of the 233 tons of recyclable materials...

Material (tons)	% of KSC's recyclable waste
Glass, Plastic and Aluminum (57.61)	25%
Mixed Paper (52.5)	23%
Mixed Steel (7.24)	3%
Organics (30)	12%
Cardboard (74.66)	32%
Books (6.5)	2%
Textiles (.22)	.1%
Confidential material (paper) (4.18)	1%

These figures do not include Surplus Materials, misc. metals from Campus constructions projects, cement blocks, move out items

The waste totals include in-house construction and demolition figures.

The economic savings from recycling this material is $27,900. Recycling has environmental benefits such as:

Conserving over 97,590 gallons of water by recycling 137.84 tons of fiber material
Reducing air pollution emissions of over 84,082 pounds by recycling the 137.84 tons of fiber material

In addition, Keene State recycling efforts support sorting and manufacturing jobs in this community, this state and the world.

Recycling Industry Economic Activity
States included in study: CT, DE, ME, MA, NH, NY, NJ, MA, RI and VT
Number of recycling and reuse industry establishments: 13,000
Number of people employed: 206,000
Size of payroll: 6.8 billion
Annual revenues: 44 billion
From: Recycling Economic Information Study, Northeast Recycling Council, June 2000.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I get in contact with R.O.C.K.S.?
You can call 603.358.2567, email Mary Jensen, send snail mail to us at 229 Main Street, Keene, NH 03435-2502 or visit us in the beige office trailer behind the Whitcomb building.

2. Where are the recycling containers located in my residence hall?
Locations and pick up schedule

3. What is the difference between cardboard and boxboard?
Cardboard is the thick box material that has the wavy layer between two flat layers. Boxboard is thin material, such as cereal, tissue and cracker boxes. Boxboard containers for frozen foods and foods kept in the refrigerator should be discarded.

4. Are pizza boxes recyclable?
Only if they have no grease or cheese on them. If they are not clean, throw them in the dumpster.

5. Are there room recycling containers available?
Your residence hall room was provided with a soft-sided blue bag at move in. If you need another bag please contact us at 603-358-2567.

6. Can off-campus student recycle on campus? Yes, they can recycle any of the materials we take on campus, but they should contact the R.O.C.K.S. office first.

7. What materials can be recycled on campus?
See What can be recycled?