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How to Recycle from Off Campus
- Use the city's black recycling containers. You can get them for free in the lobby of the municipal building at 69 South Main St., or by calling the Public Works Department at 440-775-7218. You can use your own containers as long as they are clearly marked as recycling.
- Separate your recyclables. Use three different bins for glass, plastic, and metal. Stack paper and put it in a brown bag or tie it with string.
- Garbage day=recycling day. Recycling collection is done by the city and takes place on the same day as your trash collection. Call the Public Works Department to find out your street's pickup day.
- Put your recycled materials on the curb the night before pickup. No later than 6 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than noon on the previous day.
- Be nice to the people who pick up your recycling.
- Rinse all of the food waste off
- Try to flatten metal and plastic
- Don't ever include broken glass
If you have questions about recycling in Oberlin that we don't answer on this page, here are some helpful links:
City of Oberlin refuse and recycling webpage
PDF with recycling guidelines for Oberlin
Recycling info for Lorain County
If you still have quesetions, contact Jeff Baumann, the city's Public Works director:
Phone: 440-775-7204
E-mail: jbaumann@cityofoberlin.com
Address: City of Oberlin Municipal Building, 85 South Main Street (next to the Public Library)
Remove lids, rinse containers, and flatten them when possible.
DO RECYCLE:
ONLY plastics labeled #1 and #2:
Do NOT recycle:
- plastic bags, no matter what the number
- containers that were used for motor oil, antifreeze, or pesticides
- plastics that are not #1 or #2, or unlabeled plastics
Rinse cans and flatten them when possible.
DO RECYCLE:
- aluminum
- tin
- bi-metal
Do NOT recycle:
- paint cans
- aerosol cans
- aluminum foil
Flatten boxes, tie or bind together, and keep dry until pickup (otherwise it is very unpleasant for the people who pick it up).
It is okay to leave in staples and packing tape.
DO RECYCLE:
Brown or white corrugated cardboard, which has a ribbed section sandwiched between two layers of paper.Do NOT recycle:
- waxed or glossy corrugated cardboard (if you have this, bring it to a co-op)
- cardboard covered in food waste
- gray paperboard like shoe or cereal boxes
Remove lids and neck rings, and rinse all food waste.
DO RECYCLE:
glass bottles and jars of any color
Do NOT recycle:
- light bulbs
- mirrors
- windowpanes
- dishes
- any broken glass (for safety reasons)
Bundle all paper with string, or place stacks in brown paper grocery bags. Keep paper dry until pickup.
DO RECYCLE:
- newspaper
- phone books
- office paper
- magazines
- junk mail
You can also bring all paper to an Abitibi Paper Retriever dumpster. You can find these green-and-yellow dumpsters on campus behind Hales and the Facilities building, and off campus behind the Oberlin News Tribune/Downtown Pizza or at any public school. Abitibi pays schools and towns for the paper they collect, so you can help the college or the town by recycling!
The city of Oberlin encourages the home composting of yard and food wastes. An informational brochure on starting your own compost pile is available by calling the Public Works Department at 775-7218. Also, students: check with members of the nearest co-op to see if you can add to their compost pile.
DO COMPOST:
- vegetable and fruit scraps
- coffee grounds
- eggshells
- tea bags
- yard waste
Do NOT compost:
- meat, fish, bones
- fatty foods (like cheese, butter, oil)
- animal waste
- diseased or insect-infested plants
- weeds with mature seeds
Once a year, usually in late April or early May, the Lorain County Solid Waste Management District holds a day for recycling household hazardous waste. You can call 329-5440 for specific dates and times.
DO RECYCLE:
- corrosives (acids, batteries, etc.)
- flammables (gasoline, paint, propane, etc.)
- reactives (pesticides, chlorine, etc.)
- toxics (poisons, mercury, antifreeze, etc.)
Do NOT recycle:
- ammunition
- medical waste
- tires
- appliances
Can't find what you're looking for? Check out our More Resources page for other things you can recycle!
Oberlin College Resource Conservation Team • 440-775-8996 • recycle@oberlin.edu
This page was last updated May 2010
