MSU is your place for recycling

Nationwide statistics show that about 25% more waste is generated between Thanksgiving and New Years compared to other times of the year. Other high volume recycling times include student move in and move out.

At MSU, the drop off center is open nearly 24/7 (closed from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. to service containers). The drop off center is open to the entire community with easy access on Green Way in East Lansing, between Mt. Hope and Service Road on Farm Lane Road. This location makes it easy to swing by on your way to or from campus. 

Tips that help the cycle of recycle:

• Cardboard boxes should be broken down/flattened and all packaging material removed from boxes.
• Gift boxes can be reused so we encourage people to keep them for future use. If they are going to recycle them, please also flatten and remove any packing material inside the box
• Most wrapping paper is recyclable. However, some is not including:
  • Metallic or foil paper
  • Paper with glitter on it
  • Laminated or plastic coated paper
  • All embellishments on wrapping paper such as bows and ribbons should be removed
• Cardboard tubes from wrapping paper rolls can be recycled with “Boxboard” at our drop off center 

At the Drop-Off Center, you will find bins for: 

• Corrugated Cardboard (i.e. shipping boxes)
• Boxboard (i.e. cereal boxes)
• Mixed Paper (i.e. printer paper, manila folders, sticky notes)
• Newspaper 
• Household Metal 
• Glass Bottles/Jars
• #1 and #2 Plastic Bottles/Jugs 
• Milk Jugs 
• Books (All books are reviewed by our staff. Generally, books are either resold at the Surplus Store, donated to Better World Books, or as a last resort, recycled). 

Learn more about the public drop off recycling center at MSU and be sure to follow the Surplus Store and Recycling Center on social media (Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/msu_recycling/# and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/msurecyclingcenter) 

Katie Deska, project and event coordinator at the Surplus Store and Recycling Center, shares information about how milk jugs go from donation through the Recycling Center and are sent to be repurposed. Tours are available upon request or visit during Earth Bash in April to get a behind the scene view of MSU Recycling.