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Facilities Management

Recycling

Environmental Services
Recycling

Recycling is easy at PLU

Students: Use the bins provided in your residential hall room (blue or green); sort items into the central recycle bins located in the hall's recycling rooms.

Employees: Use the duo sort desk-side bin for paper; put the rest into the central building recycle stations.


Aluminum / Tin

Cans

  • Includes metal beverage/food containers
  • REMOVE ALL LABELS! 
  • RINSE THEM OUT!

    Fun Fact: A recycled aluminum can is typically re-manufactured and put back in a store within 6 weeks.

 Glass

Glass

  • Brown, Clear, and Green Bottles and Jars
  • Unbroken
  • RINSE THEM OUT!
  • Throw away lids
  • No mirrors, light bulbs, ceramics, or window glass

    Fun Fact: Recycled glass can be used to make asphalt pavement or fiberglass insulation.

Plastic

Plastic
  • Plastics stamped with numbers 1 through 7
  • Clean plastic bags
  • Wax-coated milk cartons and juice boxes
  • Throw away lids

    Fun Fact: 1/3 of the "average American's" garbage is packaging waste. Break out of the mold and purchase products with less packaging.


Co-Mingle Includes
Commodities


The Three Paper
Listed Below:

Newspaper

Newspaper
  • All types of printed newsprint and newspaper inserts
  • No string or plastic wrappers
  • DO NOT recycle brown paper bags and cardboard with the newspaper

    Fun Fact: Newsprint is one of the easiest papers to recycle because it has no chemicals or fillers.

Office Pack

Officepack
  • Light or pastel colored office paper
  • White copy/printer paper
  • Stationary
  • Sticky notes (no dark or bright colors)
  • Envelopes
  • Computer paper
  • Manila File Folders

    Fun Fact: Paper makes up about 41% of our waste stream.

Mixed Paper

Mixed Waste
  • All paperboard (i.e. soda or cereal boxes)
  • Dark or bright colored paper
  • Glossy paper (i.e. magazines)
  • Paperback books
  • No food or plastic liners
  • No paper towels and tissues

    Fun Fact: One average, each person uses 2 pine trees worth of paper products each year.


Corrugated    Cardboard

Cardboard




  • Boxes
  • Brown paper bags
  • CLEAN pizza boxes

    Fun Fact: Over 75% of cardboard boxes are made into new boxes.


Trash

Trash


  • Bottle caps (metal and plastic)
  • Other forms of plastic (i.e. packing material) not mentioned above
  • Paper cups/plates
  • Paper towels
  • Tissues
  • Soiled containers
  • Greasy pizza boxes
  • Broken appliances
  • Textbooks

    Fun Fact: Every year we generate 1,200 pounds of solid waste per person.