WASTE SORTING GUIDE

Acceptable food items

• Bread, rice, pasta, baked goods
• All types of beverages 
• Coffee grounds and tea bags
• Flowers and herbs
• Fruits and vegetables (cooked and raw)
• Cheese and dairy*
• Meat, bones, poultry, seafood* 

*Unlike home composting, animal products such as meat and dairy are acceptable in the campus compost bins. This is because the material is processed differently than it would be in a home compost system.

Interior Recycle Bins 

Inside buildings, the blue recycle bins are for "mixed recycling," which includes: 

• EMPTY glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers  

• All types of paper (clean and dry) 

• Flattened cardboard 

• Other types of glass bottles and jars (clean and empty) 

• Metals, including clean foil, aluminum trays, soup cans (clean and empty) 

• Plastic containers labeled #1 PETE, #2 HDPE, and #5 PP  

Do NOT throw any liquids, food, wet paper, wet/oily cardboard (such as pizza boxes), or items with food residue or liquids into the recycling bins.   

Deskside Recycle Bins

The small, blue deskside recycling bins are also for "mixed recycling" and can accept all the same items listed above. However, since these bins are serviced only once a week by campus Custodial Services, it is best to use deskside bins primarily for clean, dry paper and cardboard. Other materials that contain even small amounts of food remnants or residue from sweet beverages could attract pests into your office space. It is best to dispose of these items in a centrally located mixed recycle bin. 

• Put flattened cardboard boxes inside of or next to interior mixed recycling bins 

• Large quantities of boxes should be flattened and taken to the cardboard collection stations outside buildings, typically next to the building’s trash dumpsters 

• Contact Beach Building Services Customer Service at 5-4357 to request a cardboard pick-up  

Acceptable Mixed Paper

You may deposit the following types of paper into desk side and larger blue office bins.

• Office printer paper
• Junk mail
• Catalogs
• Magazines
• Newspaper

Office Clean Out

Faculty and staff may also request a temporary mixed paper bin for larger volumes of mixed paper generated during an office cleanout. To request an extra bin for mixed paper contact Customer Service at extension 5-4357  

Document Shredding   

Campus policy requires that all documents containing confidential information about students, staff, and faculty must be properly destroyed (shredded) before they can be discarded.  Departments can shred documents themselves or have them destroyed by the university’s designated service provider (at their own cost). 

Learn more about the procedure for hiring the contracted paper shredding vendor.