Recycling receptacles can be found paired with trash cans in buildings and throughout the grounds of Wake Tech's campuses. Often, the recycling receptacles have stickers or graphics on them identifying what materials can be discarded there.
Wake Tech recycles the following materials on its campuses:
The following items are not recycled:
College janitorial staff collects items in the blue bins around campus a couple times each week and moves them to large containers outside by dumpsters, where the material is then taken by a contractor to a nearby recycling center.
Cardboard is another major part of Wake Tech's recycling program. Often, cardboard boxes are too large to go into the blue recycling receptacles, so containers specifically for cardboard boxes are scattered across all campuses. People are encouraged to break down cardboard boxes before putting them into these containers to save space.
Composting involves separating food and lawn waste from other materials to allow natural processes to break them down into nutrient-rich material. Wake Tech uses that compost in native pollinator gardens.
Three food waste bins are located on the fourth floor of Building B on the Scott Northern Wake Campus, near the waste and recycling bins. Food waste with minimal fat levels – no meat, bones or dairy – works best, and eggshells, coffee grounds and even napkins can be composted.
These food waste bins are emptied weekly into compost tumblers outside the building, where it is routinely mixed and watered to speed the natural decomposition. The material can be transformed completely into compost after about four weeks.