Classrooms should all have recycling bins for paper; if you don’t see a place to recycle paper, talk to your custodial staff and let them know which classroom is missing a bin.

Recycling quads for conference rooms are very expensive, and costs add up quickly. While we are working to increase the number of quads, all buildings should have recycling for mixed paper, office packs, and plastics 1 and 2 (receptacles are usually located on a building’s main floor).

Historically, recycling bins at the U are often contaminated with food or other waste when placed outdoors. This leads to greater expense for the recycling crew and less material being recycled.

Main campus recycling is put out on Thursday evening and picked up on Friday morning.

In the instances where holidays fall on Thursdays or Fridays, recycling is generally waived and resumes the following week. Recycling is usually waived at least once over the winter holiday break. The best (and fastest) way to find out if your building’s schedule has changed is to talk to a member of your custodial crew.

The custodial crew should be picking up the little waste bins that are in individual offices but may be missing bins within offices that are locked or have their doors closed. If you would like someone to empty your recycling bin without accessing your personal office, you may always place the bin outside of your office in the hallway.

Recycling and Waste Management will pick up empty toner cartridges from your office. Please save the original boxes from the cartridges and place the empty cartridge back inside to avoid messes. Call Recycling and Waste Management once you have collected at least 5 cartridges at 801-581-7200.

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is responsible for recycling both batteries and containers that have held chemicals or hazardous materials. To have materials picked up, you must request a Lab Management System (LMS) account and go through a hazardous materials pickup training. The training is to ensure that you prepare containers and materials for pickup in ways that protect you and any others handling the materials. Please note that pickups can take up to 10 business days.

For any electronic devices that are University of Utah property, you must contact Surplus and Salvage(801.581.7917) for instructions on retiring the device. For personal property, you may drop off electronics at one of the annual electronics recycling events on campus or go to a recycling kiosk at Best Buy.

While Facilities Management, the Recycling Coordinator, and the Office of Sustainability strongly encourage people to compost, the University of Utah does not currently have the resources or space to enact a campus-wide composting program. Many people compost in their offices as part of their Green Team activities and will trade off bringing compostable materials home to personal bins. Talk to your Green Team coordinator to learn more about ongoing composting efforts. Don’t have a Green Team? Learn how to start one here!

University Archives and Records Management is responsible for shredding important and/or sensitive documents. They may be reached at 801.581.8242.