Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, recyclers and waste haulers across the nation have been grappling with how to juggle employee safety while providing a service that is becoming recognized as essential.

We, at the Surplus Store & Recycling Center, continue to follow University guidance while prioritizing the protection of our staff and everyone we come into contact with. As a result, there are temporary interruptions to our usual collections.

• Our public drop-off center is closed until further notice.
• No employees are sorting recyclables at our material recovery facility. This means commodities like plastic, paper, and metal that are typically sorted and baled are now being trucked to the landfill. On the plus side, we are still recycling cardboard collected from cardboard-only dumpsters throughout campus.
• Food waste is being landfilled. The pre-consumer food waste from the few cafeterias currently operating is not being composted by Hammond Farms as usual.
• Surplus goods and recyclables discarded by on-campus students moving out are being landfilled instead of recovered. In a typical year, MSU diverts 30% of all that's collected, including a sizable inventory of used microwaves, lamps, furniture, room décor, clothing, and more. 
• The Surplus Store is closed until further notice, and the Community Reuse Program is temporarily suspended.