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.
For a print-out of what and how to recycle at PLU, click here.

Aluminum / Tin

• 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

• 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

• 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 the three paper commodities listed below:

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

• 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

• 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

• Boxes
• Brown paper bags
• CLEAN pizza boxes
  
  Fun Fact: Over 75% of cardboard boxes are made into new boxes.

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.

Compost

• All foods, organics, coffee grounds, food contaminated paper, greasy pizza boxes