What Can I Recycle at SU?

All recyclable paper, plastic, metal and glass goes into any campus recycling bin. Ignore 'mixed paper only' signs and "#1 and #2 plastic only" signs. Please read below for more details.

Questions? Suggestions? Contact SU's Recycling Coordinator, Matthew Benedict, 296-6459

PAPER

Books– For large quantities, put in a work request for a special pickup. We are working on a collection system for the Dorms. Please donate usable book to a charity of your choice or sell them to a second hand book store.

Brown paper bags – Remove napkins and food

Cardboard – Flatten boxes and place next to a recycle bin.

Envelopes - You can leave the plastic window. Paper-padded envelopes (yes), bubble-wrap padded (no).

File Folders (Manilla and Hanging) - You can leave the metal bar on the hanging folder.

Food packaging – Cereal and cracker boxes (remove plastic liner), waxed food boxes like frozen food and butter (remove any food residue)

Milk cartons & juice boxes (polycoated cardboard)

Newspapers and magazines

Notebooks – spiral bound, college ruled

Paper – All colors, sizes, weights, matt or glossy. You can leave staples and paper clips, but remove binder clips.

Paper ream wrappers – without a plastic coating on the inside

Phone books

Post-it notes

Shredded paper – All types of shredded paper must be put in a clear plastic bag and tied off.

Office Cleanouts & Expired Publications:

File Purge - If you are cleaning out your files, fill out a work request with an estimate of the quantity of paper such as “3 boxes” or “50 boxes,” and the date you would like the full containers removed. Large paper totes will be delivered for you to fill.

Publications – If your department has large quantities of publications left over, fill out a work request for a special pickup.

PLASTIC

Please ignore the #1 and #2 plastic signs you see on the recycling bins around campus. We haven't had staff time to remove the old signs. We recycle all numbers of plastic resins. 

Recycle these plastics:

• All clean plastic bottles, jugs, jars and dairy tubs.  Remove lids and put in the trash; lids are not recycled because their small size jams the recycling equipment. 
• Clean, dry shopping bags, newspaper bags and drycleaning bags. Stuff into one bag and tie securely. Loose bags end up as litter. 
• Tyvek mailing envelopes
• Lids larger than 3” or a coffee lid and bigger
• Clean plastic food takeout containers
• Plastic cups - all of them (e.g. bubble tea, cold coffee drinks, red party cups)
• Plastic toys, hard plastic packaging
• Coffee cups (Clean)

METAL

All clean glass bottles and jars. 

Broken? Put in the trash.  In good condition? Give to a thrift store: Ceramics, eyeglasses, vases, drinking glasses, window glass, mirrors 

ODD ITEMS FROM BATTERIES TO TONER CARTRIDGES 

Batteries  -All batteries (alkaline, 9-volt, nickel-cadmium, lithium-ion, button cell, watch battery and cell phone batteries) are collected for recycling. Batteries are sent to Total Reclaim or Emerald Services once a year to be recycled.

• Staff and faculty - put batteries in an envelope and send them through campus mail addressed to Chip Romain, 1218 Cherry Building.
• Students in the Residence Halls and Murphy - put batteries in the battery bin in the trash/recycling closets.

Please take batteries from home to a store near you. Radioshak, Bartells, OfficeMax, OfficeDepot, Lowe's and Home Depot have battery collection boxes from the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. Visit their web site to find a drop off location near you.  Alkaline batteries can be put in the trash, according to King County hazardous waste.

CDs - Depending on the quantity, put CDs either in a box or envelope and send them through campus mail addressed to “Recycling – Used CD’s”. Total Reclaim, a local recycler, recycles CDs along with SU’s computer equipment.

Cell Phones - Bring your phone to Campus Ministry's office in the Student Center.  The phones will be given to the nationwide Call to Protect program which refurbishes and sells them to raise funds to buy new phones with air time that are given to victims of domestic violence.

Computer Equipment - Contact the Office of Information Technology to pick up used computer equipment from your campus department for recycling.  Total Reclaim, a local company, donates newer working equipment to a non-profit and recycles older and broken equipment locally.

Electronics - Copier, fax machine, phone, TV, DVD, VCR, stereo equipment, projection equipment, cable box, remote controls, microwave, appliances, paper shredders. If you have one of these types of electronics, enter a work request and the item will be picked up for recycling. If you have an item that is not on this list, but you think it could be recycled, please enter a work request and you will be contacted with more information.

Furniture - Usable furniture  in good condition from campus departments is kept in storage for reuse on campus. To have unwanted furniture removed, submit a work request and include a description and the location of the item(s), asset tag number(s), and the condition of the item(s).

Light Bulbs - Faculty and staff, to replace a fluorescent tube or desktop light bulb, fill out a work request. When Facilities staff replaces your bulb the old one is given to EcoLights Northwest for recycling. The mercury from one fluorescent bulb can pollute 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe levels for drinking; this is why it is illegal to put them in the trash.

Metal Scrap - Broken and unusable metal items like filing cabinets, desks, bed frames, pipe and parts are recyclable.  Please enter a work request if you need to have such items removed.  Scrap metal is transported to a local metal recycler. 

Packing Material (Peanuts and Bubble Wrap) - Take these packing materials to SUperCopy located in the Garden Level (basement) of the Student Center Pavilion. SUperCopy also gives out these materials for free (subject to availability). Another option is to take them to the UPS stores on 410 Broadway Ave E. and 1426 Harvard St. Most packing peanuts are made of Styrofoam and bubble wrap is made of a non-recycled plastic. Both do not break down in a landfill. The best option is to reuse them until they wear out.

Packing Material (Air bags) - Take them to the UPS stores on 410 Broadway Ave E. and 1426 Harvard St.

Packing Material (Styrofoam blocks) - Not recyclable. SUperCopy and the UPS stores do not want to use them. Put in the trash.

Paint - Fill out a work request to have left over paint picked up. SU’s Environmental Health & Safety Manager will properly prepare it before putting in the garbage. Since paint is not recycled, please buy only what you need and make an effort to use it up.

Plastic Wrap from Pallets -  Plastic shrink wrap from palletized product deliveries are put into a 50 gallon plastic bag which is picked up for free by Avoco Plastics and recycled.  The Bookstore, Reprographics and our custodial service, WFF, participate.  If your department generates a large amount of plastic wrap, please contact Tyler Dierks, Recycling Coordinator.

Toner Cartridges - All inkjet, laser, printer, toner and copier cartridges can be sent to Recycling via campus mail.  For small cartridges, put in an envelope addressed to "Recycling – Used Printer Cartridge."  For large cartridges, tape a sheet of scrap paper to the cartridge box and address it to "Recycling – Used Printer Cartridge."  Mailing Services gathers used cartridges in the mail room for the Recycling Crew to collect.  The cartridges are eventually refilled by an off-campus company to be reused.

TRASH

• Foam core boards and the plastic backing from labels. 
• Bubble-wrap and Tyvek mailing envelopes.  
• Cardboard and paper heavily covered in tape. 
• Facial tissue. A clean tissue has no fiber left so the paper turns to mush in the recycling process and is thrown out.  There are bacteria concerns with used tissues.