Solid Waste and Recycling

Ithaca College works in partnership with Tompkins County Recycling & Materials Management to collect and process campus solid waste and recycling. IC pays collects all of its solid waste, recycling separately and hauls it to the Tompkins County transfer station for added processing. While recycling is sorted and sold to various markets, food waste is collectively gathered and transported to Cayuga Compost which is located in Tompkins County in the Town of Ulysses. Solid waste is hauled by contractors for the County to the landfill in Ontario County (NY).

IC also facilitates the recycling of scrap metal, electronics, tires and mattresses. The College further coordinates the safe disposal of hazardous waste in working with the firm Clean Harbors and medical waste through Safeguard Solutions. 

The IC Eco Reps organize waste diversion efforts on campus including regular programing, coordinating composting at on-campus apartments, and collect unwanted items and help get them back out to the community through the on-campus reuse shop - Take it or Leave it (TIOLI).

The college pays an annual fee to the County each year but also pays each time it takes waste to the County transfer station. It should be noted that the rates for different types of waste. Recycling is about half the cost of "trash" and there is currently no charge for drop off of food waste.