Recycling at NIH

General Recycling NIH Recycling Mission "The NIH Recycling Program is committed to the delivery or facilitating the delivery of effective, courteous, innovative, and responsive waste reduction and recycling services to the NIH main campus and all other locations. We serve to establish a supportive and informational role to facilitate recycling between the various NIH installations in cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies to reach current and future goals. In addition, the Program seeks to integrate the principles of recycling and waste reduction into all phases of daily activities and operations." Recycling Background The NIH recycling program began in 1991 that involved collecting and recycling paper from two buildings on the Bethesda Campus, using a GSA contract. This program expanded to several other buildings in 1992. Montgomery County enacted business recycling regulations in 1993 that required all business to recycle paper products, cardboard, yard waste, and food and beverage containers made of glass, plastic, steel, and aluminum. These regulations resulted in the implementation of a full recycling program in 1996. The recycling program has continually grown over the years to include many more items such as toner cartridges, scrap metal, Tyvek suits, batteries, and electric waste. Recycling Program Responsibility The Recycling Program is responsible for: 1. Effective coordination of agency-wide recycling collection efforts between the DEP, Custodial Services, Grounds Maintenance Services, Facility Maintenance Services, Personal Property Management Operations, Animal Care Operations, Hospital Services, laboratory operations, and all other agency functions. 2. Effective management of contractor-provided recycling collection and processing sservices. 3. Educating staff about the rewards of actively participating in local recycling programs. 4. Working collaboratively with county, state, and federal recycling entities to seek methods to improve existing programs. 5. Developing new initiatives to promote greater recycling involvement throughout the NIH community. The 4 R's of Recycling Reduce: Waste prevention, or "source reduction," means consuming and throwing away less. Source reduction actually prevents the generation of waste in the first place, so it is the most preferred method of waste management and goes a long way toward protecting the environment. Reuse: Reusing items -- by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them -- also reduces waste. Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need t to be reprocessed before it can be used again. Recycle: Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources. In addition, it generates a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits. Materials like glass, metal, plastics, and paper are collected, separated and sent to facilities that can process them into new materials or products. Rebuy: In order to make recycling economically feasible, we must buy recycled products and packaging. When we buy recycled products, we create a an economic incentive for recyclable materials to be collected, manufactured, and marketed as new products. Remember, you're not recycling unless you're rebuying. Green purchasing is now a federal requirement and encompasses many areas of federal purchasing. Programs Operational Programs § Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling § Zero Waste Program Promotional Programs § Buy Recycled § The Mad Hatter Campaign § Composting at NIH § Waste Audits and Assessments Publications NIH Waste Disposal Guide Events § Earth Day § America Recycles Day What is and isn't recycled at NIH
General information	Contact the Recycling Coordinator at 301-496- 7990, your Recycling Area Coordinator or search the Waste Calender.
Building Plans	Because of the varied and unique characteristics of NIH buildings, a customized recycling plan is developed in collaboration between DEP and volunteer coordinators from the building staff This joint effort takes into account factors such as available space for recycling containers, staff needs and interests Changes to your Building/Area plan can be discussed with the NIH Recycling Coordinator at 301-496-7990
Collection Containers	All recycling containers will be identified by the blue and green NIH recycling logo and with information as to the specific material which can be recycled in the container. Call 301-402-6349 to request additional containers.
Please Rinse	Please rinse food/beverage containers before placing in recycling containers.
Please Do Not Recycle	Material contaminated with food products, infectious material, hazardous chemicals or radioactive materials or empty containers previously containing infectious material, hazardous chemicals, or radioactive materials.

Materials recycled at NIH Materials Recycled at Recyclable Materials Method of Collection NIH
All Paper Products Electronic Wastes Scrap Metal Wooden Pallets Yard Waste Aluminum Commingled containers Corrugated cardboard and Paperboard boxes (e.g. Thin-walled Kleenex and paper towel boxes) Polypropylene Animal Care Tyvek Suits Toner Cartridges Batteries Fluorescent Light Tubes Techno Trash - Electronic, Audio, Video Media Items Transparency Films Office Cleanouts	White paper (any color ink), office stationery, copier paper, white and green/white computer paper, newspaper, shredded paper, magazines, envelopes, colored paper, manila folders, post-it-notes, soft-back books, telephone books, Kraft paper, and all other clean, dry paper. Staples need not be removed. Computers, monitors, laptop computers, keyboards, hard drives, memory cards. Any type of scrap metal: iron, steel, copper, brass. Metal containing commercial items: Ethernet cable, power cords, metal furniture, cabinets, ductwork and shelving. Discarded wooden pallets, regardless of condition. Grass clippings, leaves, tree and bush limbs. Aluminum beverage cans, foil. All items must be free of contamination from hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials or infectious substances.No empty containers that previously contained hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, or infectious substances accepted. Items must fit into recycling containers. Corrugated cardboard and paperboard boxes free of trash and packing materials, preferably flattened. Note: Paperboard must be recycled along with cardboard. Cartridges: Laser jet, ink jet, and copier cartridges. Lead-acid, alkaline, lithium batteries, and rechargeable (all types). Straight tubes, U-shape tubes, and compact fluorescent. DVD’s, CD’s, video tapes, hard drives, floppy disks, and audio cassettes. X-ray and transparency films. Polyester is recovered for reuse. Cleanouts normally occur when office moves or file reorganizations occur. Materials include all paper items, hard-back books, journals, and three-ring binder containing paper.	Interior metal containers: Place in White or Mixed Paper containers (all being relabeled to “All Paper Products”). Large interior cardboard containers, exterior stone containers, and small cardboard desktop containers emptied by recycling. Disposal in general trash illegal in Montgomery County, MD These items are considered government property and must be transferred to the Division of Personal Property Services (DPPS). DPPS processes for recycling, donation, or other reuse. Large open-top dumpsters at Bldg 10 B2 Dock, behind Bldg 11, Bldg 25 Scrapyard, Bldg 13 Dock and other loading dock collections upon request. Disposal in general trash illegal in Montgomery County, MD. Collected by recycling contractor from bldg loading docks daily. Collected and recycled by NIH Grounds Maintenance Dept. Disposal in general trash illegal in Montgomery County, MD. Interior metal containers and exterior stone containers, emptied by recycling contractor. Disposal in general trash illegal in Montgomery County, MD. Interior commingled metal containers and exterior stone containers, emptied by recycling contractor. Disposal in general trash illegal in Montgomery County, MD. New Procedure to come. Disposal in general trash illegal in Montgomery County, MD. New Procedure to come. New Procedure to come. New Procedure to come. Collected by chemical waste contractor. All are recycled (301-496-4710). Removed by Maintenance Contractor; can also be collected by chemical waste contractor if needed (301-496-4710). New Procedure to come. Collected by chemical waste contractor. Call (301-496-4710). New Procedure to come. Large canvas hampers available from recycling contractor for large quantity office clean-outs. Call 301-402-6349 to request.

Plastics resin codes	For more information on Plastics Resin Code: Visit http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/bin.asp?CID=1102&DID=4645&DOC=FILE.PDF

Spills or Emergencies -	On Bethesda campus	911 (NIH response)
	Off campus in MD	9-911 (Montgomery County response)
Safety and Health Specialists	301-496-2346
Health Physicists	301-496-5774
Chemical Waste	Pickup: 301-496-4710	Assistance: 301-496-7990
Multihazardous Waste	Pickup: 301-496-4710 or 301-496-4451	Assistance: 301-496-7990
Radioactive Waste	Pickup: 301-496-4451	Assistance: 301-496-5774
Medical Pathological Waste, MPW	Pickup: 301-496-7990	Assistance: 301-496-2346
Recycling Waste	Pickup: 301-496-7990	Assistance: 301-496-7990
Information on Moving Laboratories	301-496-7990
Chemical Move	301-496-7990
Radioactive Material Move	301-496-5774
Biohazard Material and Laboratory Clearance	301-496-2346

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