Recycling for Zero Waste
The F&S Waste Management department provides campus-wide recycling and waste hauling, with an aim to continuously reduce total the volume of waste being sent to a landfill. The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) sets a vision of Zero Waste for campus, and the State Waste Reduction Plan provides a five year plan for continuing to reduce total landfill waste.
There are more than 3,000 recycling bins in campus buildings for paper, plastic bottles #1&2, and aluminum cans. There is also a newspaper and cardboard drop-off location at the southeast corner of Oak Street and Kirby Avenue in Parking Lot E14.
The Waste Transfer Station operates daily recycling routes in addition to its regular trash routes. Trash is compacted and shipped to a landfill at a cost to the university. The recyclables collected from campus are manually sorted and deposited in storage bins, then compressed into large bales and sold to recycling companies.
Have You Bin Recycling?
Campus diverts about 30% of its waste from landfills. You can help by learning about the recycling process and spreading awareness of the importance of recycling. Here are some helpful resources: