Buildings & Grounds Maintenance

Q: When are the recycling bins emptied on campus?
A: Most recycling bins on the campus are emptied once a week. Call us at 321-4236 to determine your pick up day.

Q: If I leave cardboard by the recycling bins, will it be picked up?
A: No. Cardboard is only collected in the green metal dumpsters located next to the garbage dumpsters outside of most buildings. Call us for the nearest location.

Q: Should we set our recyclables out in rainy weather?
A: Rainwater will not harm recyclables. Please set out your curbside recycling bins when the containers are full, regardless of weather conditions. You may want to make sure your recyclables are secure in windy weather so they don't litter the street.

Q: What if I have more recyclable material than fits in my curbside bins?
A: Your program includes unlimited weekly collection of recyclables. That means you may put out extra materials in addition to what the recycling bins can hold. Use brown paper bags to hold the overflow of you recycling materials. Place each type of recycling item in a separate bag.

Q: Should I put out my curbside recycling bins every week even if they are just half full?
A: No, wait until your recycling bins are full before setting them out for collection. Please remember to set out recycling by 6 a.m. Cans and plastic containers can be crushed if you need more room in the bin.

Q: Why does the recycling collector leave items in my curbside recycling bin?
A: The recycling collectors leave behind items that are not recyclable or not set out properly. Common items left in the bins are polystyrene peanuts or blocks. If you have any questions regarding why something was left behind, please call or email us

Q: Do cardboard boxes have to be flatten for collection?
A: For residential customers, proper recycling setout requires that all corrugated cardboard boxes be flattened and placed next to the curbside recycling crates. Remove all items inside of the box (recycle newspaper packaging material and reuse the polystyrene peanuts or blocks) and flatten boxes. For campus buildings, it is still a good idea to break down the boxes so that there is enough space in the cardboard dumpster.

Q: What should I do if I see someone scavenging through my curbside recycling bin?
A: If you see someone scavenging through your curbside recycling bin or see evidence of it, please contact the Stanford Police Department. They will take a report and be more aware of this activity happening in your community.

Q: What size garbage cans are we allowed to have?
A: Residential customers are allowed to have 1 - 32 gallon can for each can of service you subscribe to. These cans should not weigh more than 60 pounds for safety reasons. Look on the bottom or side of your garbage can to find the size.

Q: I have extra bags of garbage. Can I just place them next to the garbage cans?
A: If you have extra bags of garbage, please call our office at 321-4236 between 8 am and 4 pm or leave a message on our voicemail requesting the number of extra bags of garbage you would like to be picked up on your normal service day. We will let Walt, the garbageman, know that you have authorized an extra pick up.

Q: Do you offer debris box service?
A: Yes. These bins are also known as drop boxes or roll-off boxes. These types of bins are good for larger items, garage clean-outs, and remodels. We offer 4 different sizes:

8 cubic yard box = 12’ x 8’ x 39”
15 cubic yard box = 16’ x 8’ x 57”
20 cubic yard box = 18’ x 8’ x 60”
30 cubic yard box = 18’ x 8’ x 80”

The 15, 20, and 30 cubic yard boxes come in short and tall heights.

To encourage recycling, if you source separate out wood, metal, cardboard, or green waste, we will give you a discount on the box. We attempt to recycle the material we receive in these roll-off boxes.

For more information, visit http://bgm.stanford.edu/pssi_bins

Q: What is construction and demolition waste and how do we reduce or recycle it?
A: According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for at least 28% of the total tonnage in California landfills. C&D is any material generated by a construction or demolition project. Load composition can vary depending on whether the material is generated by a new construction, a remodel, or a demolition project. Generally, C&D includes asphalt, concrete, cardboard, drywall, metals, organic material, reusable items, and wood.

PSSI offers discounts to homeowners and contractors on roll-off boxes that contain clean source-separate recyclable material such as wood or green waste. Most other mixed construction and demolition debris placed in our roll-off boxes is taken to a C&D recycler where concrete, wood, metals, drywall, cardboard, and other recyclable items are separated and recycled. Unrecycable items are landfilled. Introduced in January 1999, this practice has significantly increased our diversion rate.

But, before we recycle we should reuse C&D material. Whole House Building Supply (WHBS) located in San Mateo has helped reduce the amount of material destined for the landfill by selling salvaged building materials to customers looking for quality but low-cost items.

WHBS operates a warehouse in San Mateo where customers can look for unique and/or used building material. They accept donations of marble and granite, beveled glass, windows and doors, hardwood floors, ironwork, moldings, kitchen cabinets, fixtures, and the list goes on. When houses are set for demolition, WHBS can arrange an estate “salvage sale” and sell everything from wood flooring to kitchen cabinets to moldings and ironwork. You name it, they sell it.

Not only does WHBS help reduce the impact on landfills during a renovation project, they also provide homeowners a documentation letter showing the value of their tax-deductible contributions. They are able to do this because they share a percentage of their sales with the non-profit organization.

To find out more about current salvage sales, how salvage sales work, how to donate building materials and view some of their inventory contact Whole House Building Supply at (650) 856-0634 or visit www.driftwoodsalvage.com.

Q: How should I prepare for the Fall or Spring Clean Up in the Faculty Staff Housing Area?
A: Start your spring cleaning and pruning! Determine if items can be donated to a charitable or reuse organization before placing them on the curb. Look in the phone directory under “Social Service Organizations”.

You can call the Santa Clara County Recycling Hotline at 1-800-533-8414 or visit their webpage at http://recyclestuff.org. They will direct you to reuse and recycling opportunities for items not included in our program.

The City of Palo Alto's Recyclopedia is a very useful tool to assist you in your efforts to reduce and recycle. It can be found on the web at: http://archive.cityofpaloalto.org/forms/recyclopedia/

Find out how to donate items to local groups and discover locations to get used items for free or for reduced cost including construction and salvage materials and arts and crafts for creative reuse at one of the most comprehensive local reuse guides on the internet. It can be found on San Mateo County’s RecycleWorks webpage at: http://www.recycleworks.org/reuse_center.html. This center contains information for local residents, businesses, schools and nonprofits.

During the clean-up we cannot accept hazardous or toxic material, dirt, rock, cement, or similar materials, refrigerators that contain freon, or automobile parts.
Consider offering your items on a local Freecycle Group. What is Freecycle? The Freecycle Network™ is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free. There are 3,494 Freecycle Communities in the world, including local ones in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale. The Network provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to "recycle" unwanted items. One person's trash can truly be another's treasure! The web address is http://freecycle.org/.

Q: How do I dispose of a refrigerator?
A: Refrigerators and freezers must have the freon and oil evacuated by a certified technician before disposal or recycling. PSSI provides this service for a fee which includes pick up, removal of hazardous material, and recycling. If the hazardous materials have been removed, PSSI will accept refrigerators free of charge or charge a small fee to pick it up on your curb. Please call 321-4236 for current rates.

Q: What should I do with palm fronds?
A: Since palm fronds are difficult to compost, they are not accepted in the yard waste recycling program. Instead, they have to be taken to the landfill. Place palm fronds in your garbage can. If you end up with more than your subscription level, call for an additional can pickup. If you have a large amount of palm fronds, call PSSI for an estimate.

Q: How do I dispose of or recycle electronic waste?
A: Monitors, televisions, and other electronic waste are banned from the landfill. If you are a department on campus, you can place calculators, CDs, cellphones, PDAs, telephones, wireless devices, empty printer/toner cartridges, and other e-waste in the green Electronic Devices buckets (for more information and locations click here). For larger electronic items, please contact your DPA.
Residential customers, students, and community members may arrange a pick up (fee may apply) for monitors and televisions. Computer monitors, televisions, laptop computers, and plasma screens are accepted for recycling at our office at 339 Bonair Siding, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. Please do not leave them at the Stanford Recycling Drop-Off Center. It will be considered abandoned waste and will cost us to recycle and handle properly. We are able to accept these items in our office free of charge because of California’s Electronic Waste Law (2005). The Law requires the consumer to declare that the item was purchased and used in California. To make this declaration, you, the consumer, must provide your name and physical address (P.O. Boxes not acceptable) for a State of California form in our office. Since the recycling of these items is funded through the State, the State must ensure that it is funding recycling by California residents and businesses.

Lastly, toner, cell phones, CDs and disks can be taken to the drop off center free of charge.

For more commonly asked questions about e-waste, visit this webpage http://recycling.stanford.edu/recycling/caq_e-waste.html.
For information on how to recycle electronics on campus, visit this webpage: http://recycling.stanford.edu/5r/electronic.html