Materials for Recycling

Acceptable Materials | Hard to Recycle Materials | Unacceptable Materials 

Here is a go-to guide for how to dispose of acceptable recycled materials, hard-to-recycle materials and unacceptable materials that can only go to the landfill.

   Acceptable Materials

Containers

Metal
  • Thin plastic lids that come on trays cannot be recycled.
  • Remove food and crumple aluminum foil into a ball (preferably 2" in diameter).
  • Empty fluids from aluminum cans before recycling them.
  • Leave cans uncrushed.
Plastics
  • Empty all liquids and screw all caps back on.
  • No food.
  • No compostable (PLA #7 ).
  • No film plastics (i.e. plastic bags, candy wrappers, chip bags).
  • No Solo cups (#6 PS).
  • No styrofoam (#6 EPS).
Paper Cartons
  • Empty out all liquid.
  • Does not include paper cups.
  • No plastic straws!
Glass
  • Empty contents of glass jars and bottles.
  • Remove metal lids and recycle them loose.
  • No vases, dishes, mirrors, light bulbs, window glass or drinking glasses.
  • No broken glass.

Paper

Office paper and mail
  • Heavily dyed, astro-bright, and neon papers are NOT recyclable because of the chemicals used in the dye.
  • No paper cups.
  • Paper towels and napkins are compostable but NOT recyclable due to their low grade fibers.
  • Make sure shredded paper is bagged.
Newspaper, magazines and books
  • Large stacks of books should be placed next to bin.
Paperboard
  • Glossy magazines are okay.
  • NO heavy coated plastic paper.
  • Do the “rip test”: rip paper and if you see plastic on the inside, then it is not recyclable. Put it in the landfill bin.
Bagged shredded paper
  • No loose shred.

 

Recycling Tip

Try printing double sided or on the back of old paper. If there is a paper recycling bin near the printer, check and see if there is any one sided paper you can reuse. Also try to only print when necessary by turning in reports or assignments digitally and converting all written work to type to save paper.

Cardboard

Pizza Boxes
  • Small amounts of grease/cheese are okay.
  • Boxes heavily soaked/soiled with grease/cheese should go into landfill.
  • No food, sauce cups, condiment packets, etc.
  • Please flatten.
Paperboard
  • Single layer paper board can now be included with cardboard.
  • If a cardboard bin is not close by, it can also go into a papers recycling bin.
  • Remove inner packaging (plastic wrap, foil, bags, etc).
  • Remove all food.
  • Please flatten.
  • No frozen food boxes.
Cardboard
  • Please flatten.
  • Remove all inside/outside packaging (plastic wrap, bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts, etc).
Paper Bags
  • Brown paper bags can be included with cardboard.
  • If a cardboard bin is not around, they can go into a papers recycling bin.
  • Remove all inside materials .

 

Recycling Tip

Try keeping boxes for your shipping needs and upcoming moves, or try dontating them to your local thrift store. Cardboard can also be reused for craft projects. 

Hard-to-Recycle Materials

Cell Phone Recycling

Cell Phone Recycling

As cell phones are constantly being upgraded, the outdated phones need to be disposed of in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner. This service is ONLY for waste generated on campus.

CU Recycling has formed a partnership with The Wireless Alliance to reuse and recycle old cell phones.

To recycle your old cell phone on the CU campus, the main options are:

  • Drop Off Location: Environmental Center, University Memorial Center- UMC 355.
  • Or check out the Eco-Cycle A-Z guide.

Types of materials accepted

  • Any cell phone (working or broken).
  • Cell phone chargers.
  • Cell phone batteries.
  • iPods, MP3 players, portable CD players.
  • Tablets (working or broken).
  • Bluetooth devices (small).
  • Electronic accessories (small).
  • Digital cameras.

Electronics Recycling (E-Waste)

Did you know electronic waste, also known as e-waste, is the fastest-growing component of waste worldwide? In the United States alone, we throw out approximately 130,000 computers daily and 100 million cell phones annually. Please recycle aged electronics, cell phones or appliances that cannot be re-used.

Recycling E-Waste On Campus 

When recycling electronics, it is always good practice to ensure the equipment is being recycled responsibly. Property Services ensures all university-owned electronics are disposed of responsibly, following the highest industry standards for sustainability. In fact, 100 percent of the university's surplus electronics are diverted from landfill by staff.

Recycling E-Waste Off Campus 

Eco-Cycle's A-Z Recycling Guide for electronic waste contains useful information for your off-campus recycling needs. The Eco-Cycle facility CHaRM (Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials) in Boulder works with Electronics Recyclers International, who are certified to assure electronic scrap is safely processed. Visit CHaRM's guidelines page for specifics on accepted materials and fees.

Best Buy also offers electronics and appliance recycling at their store locations with many FREE options to recycle materials.  Visit the Best Buy electronics and appliance recylcing page to find out what is acceptable at a store near you!

Clothing

There are two big ways to join the sustainable Herd in reusing:

  • Before you head to the store to buy something new, check thrift shops and online exchange sites.
  • Instead of throwing your old items out, donate them or sell them secondhand.

These two actions will save the Earth while saving you money! Lucky for you, Boulder has plenty of resources to help you reuse. Thrift stores aren't all clothes and furniture- you can reuse almost anything around here!

View the map of Boulder thrift locations.

Less clothing in landfills

Fewer resources used and wasted

  • Making clothes takes a lot of water. It is estimated that one pair of jeans uses about 1,8000 gallons of water in growing the cotton used and in processing.
  • Thrifting will help keep these resources from going to waste and help stop the drive of companies to be constantly producing more.

Helps to reduce chemical pollution

How can thrift shopping benefit you?

  • Cheaper!
  • Develop a unique wardrobe.
  • Can find genuine vintage items or designer products at a fraction of the initial cost.
  • Learn to upcycle and turn clothes into a unique piece of your own.

Disk Recycling

Disk items are recycled through Green Disk

Small quantity options - 1 box or less

Large quantity options (more than 1 box)

Ship directly to Green Disk

Deliver to Recycling Operations Center

  • Box materials.
  • Contact the Recycling Operations Center to set up a time to deliver through email: recycling@colorado.edu

Acceptable Items

  • CDs and DVDs
  • Casette tapes
  • VHS tapes
  • Jewel cases and DVD cases
  • Casette tape cases
  • VHS tape cases
  • Floppy disks
  • Film reels (Black and White ONLY-No color film)

Battery Recycling

CU-Boulder's Environmental Health & Safety department accepts sealed and non-leaking recharchageable batteries and batteries from pagers, cell phones, laptops, etc. from University operations. Alkaline batteries from campus departments can now also be recycled through their program. 

Any/all small sealed battery types are acepted in EHS campus battery collection containers, including: alkaline batteries, rechargeable batteries, lithium cells, nickel-cadmium, sealed lead acid, button-cell, cell-phone batteries, laptop batteries, etc. 

Do you want to help even further? Please apply tape to all battery terminals or place each battery separately into a plastic baggie to prevent short circuits while in transit to the recycling facility. The university recycles all battery types.                                

For additional information about battery recycling, please call EHS at 303-492-7845.

Here is a list of battery recycling collection sites on campus:

Main Campus Locations:

  • UMC | 1st floor near bathrooms, West of Starbucks
  • Norlin Library | East entrance
  • Regent Administrative Center | 1st floor, East lobby
  • Campus Police & Parking Services | Lobby
  • Stadium | Facilities Management service desk
  • Engineering Center | 1st floor, Main entrance
  • Wolf Law | 3rd floor, Dean's suite
  • Duane Physics | 1st floor lobby, Gamov Tower
  • Center for Community (C4C) | 1st floor near elevators
  • Environmental Health & Safety | 2nd floor copy room
  • Leeds Business | 3rd floor Technology Center
  • Ramaley Biology | West wing, Admin. Office
  • Porter | 2nd level, next to elevators

East Campus Locations:

  • RL-3 (ARCE) | Inside North entrance
  • RL-2 | Near recycling bins by dock
  • Housing Maintenance (HMSC) | Near service desk
  • Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology | Inside Chemistry Stores
  • SEEC | East receiving dock
  • Distribution Center | Opposite service desk
  • LASP | 1st floor hallway
  • Space Science | Entry, near reception
  • Transportation | Past service office, left side

Acceptable Materials

  • Alkaline Batteries
  • Rechargeable Batteries
  • Lithium Cells
  • Nickel-cadmium
  • Sealed Lead Acid
  • Button-cell Batteries
  • Cell Phone Batteries
  • Laptop Batteries

Pallet Recycling

Facilities Management will collect pallets for reuse or recycling (CU Boulder campus facilities only)

  • Used wooden pallets are collected from the main campus loading docks.
  • Please place your pallets out of the way.
  • Do not put pallets in the trash dumpsters.
  • For a special pickup, larger quantities or for more info:

Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) Recycling

On-Campus CFL Recycling

The recycling of fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) on the CU Boulder campus is a joint effort by Facilities Management and Environmental Health & Safety.

  • Facilities Management collects all of the fluorescent bulbs/CFLs they routinely replace, and also manages the main recycling effort on campus for fluorescent tubes. 
  • Environmental Health & Safety collects the bulbs generated in campus laboratories, and will also collect CFLs from campus offices who replace their own bulbs.  
  • Campus departments can arrange a pick-up of CFLs by contacting EH&S at 303-492-7845.  
  • Please store the bulbs in their original packaging or other sturdy packaging to prevent breakage.  
  • Also please note that ONLY CFLs generated as a result of University business can be collected.  
  • More information about Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs and other hazardous waste generated on campus can be found in the EH&S Hazardous Waste Generators' Guide (page 11).

Off-Campus CFL Recycling

CFLs generated at home need to be recycled at one of the following locations:

  • Your local county Household Hazardous Waste collection site.
  • Boulder County Hazerdous Materials Managemenet Facility, 1901 63rd St, 720-564-2220.
    • Free for Boulder County Residents.  Bring ID or a utility bill to prove current address
  • Retail stores that now that manage collection sites:
    • McGuckins Hardware, 2525 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO, 303-443-1822.
      • Bin in the electrical department, open during regular business hours, no charge.
    • Home Depot, 1600 29th St, Boulder, CO, 303-449-4221.
      • Bring to Special Service desk during regural business hours, no charge.
  • More info at:
    • EcoCycle maintains a list of places in the Boulder area to take hard-to-recycle materials, including CFLs.

Toner Cartridges and Ink Jet Recycling

Return toner cartridges and ink jets to your vendor when buying a new one

  • Vendor will reuse or recycle.
  • Recycle in bin if your vendor will not take your toner or inkjet back.

Toner and ink jet collection locations across campus:

  • Regent | Basement recycling cabinet, next to 1B57 and vending machines
  • Parking/Police | Main lobby, next to ATM
  • ARC East (Marine Street) | Basement, next to east exit to dock
  • Folsom Stadium | Inside OIT office, next to Gate 6
  • Environmental Center (UMC 355) | Front desk of the Environmental Center
  • Distribution Center (33rd and Walnut area) | Mailing room, any drop offs go to front desk
  • Housing Maintenance (Marine Street) | Dock area, not open to public drop off

Office Supply Recycling and Reuse

CU Boulder campus departments

If you have excess office supplies that still have life, we may be able to put them back to use!  Also, many office supplies cannot be put into typical recycling bins (tyvek envelops, transparencies, etc).

  • Usable office supplies are given back to students for free at the start of each semester.
    • Look for the Free Office Supplies Drive in the UMC tabling area to give or grab used notebooks, binders, pens and more! 
  • Hard to recycle items, such as tyvek envelops and transparencies, can be recycled seperate from normal recycling bins.

How to get office supplies reused or recycled:

  • On campus? Send by campus mail to Recycling, 209 UCB.
  • Or drop it by the Environmental Center in UMC 355.

Not a campus department? 

At some times of the year we may be able to take your reusable office supplies -- if they are in new or almost new shape and desirable to college students. Call or email to confirm if we are accepting donations.

  • Examples of desirable items: notebooks with plenty of paper left, working pens, markers, loose paper, binders that are 2" or smaller and look new and clean.
  • Items not acceptable from off-campus sources: most binders unless almost new (no binders larger than 2", no worn binders), no filing folders, no desk organizers.
Special Collections and Office Clean Outs

If you are cleaning out files, storerooms, etc. and have more recyclables than the current recycling station can handle, please email recycling@colorado.edu or call 303-492-5321 in advance to arrange for delivery of additional containers.

Acceptable Materials

  • Notebooks and Journals
    • With mostly blank pages
  • ​Folders and Dividers
  • 3-ring Binders
    • ​Remove paper and recycle paper seperately.
  • Pens, Pencils, Markers, etc.
  • Sticky Notes and Note Pads
  • Office Organizers
  • Print Cartridges and Ink Jets
  • Tyvek Envelopes
  • Transparencies
  • Interdepartmental Mail Envelopes

Lab Recycling

Visit the Green Labs Lab Efforts | Waste section to learn how to recycle lab materials.

Landfill Only | Non-Recyclable & Non-Compostable

Compostable Paper

Due to changing guidelines the following items are not currently being accepted for composting

  • Plastic lined paper.
  • Wax coated paper is okay.
  • #7 PLA coated paper.
Paper Towels/Napkins/Wood

Due to changing guidelines the following items are not currently being accepted for composting

  • Paper towels, napkins, or tissues.
  • Do not put them in the recycling bin. The paper quality is too low to be recycled and there is often food residue on them.
  • Cloth, plastic coated, or other types of rags.
  • Wood.
Compostable Plastics

Due to changing guidelines the following items are not currently being accepted for composting

  • Certified compostable plastics, even if they have the following identifiers:
    • BPI Certified
    • #7 PLA on the plastic
    • The word "Compostable"
Plastic Bags
  • Plastic bags are a hard-to-recycle item.
  • Bags need to be kept separate, clean and dry.
  • Take bags to a special place for recycling: CHaRM, Grocery Stores, Home Depot.
  • Do not put bags in your normal recycling bin.
  • Bags get caught in recycling sorting equipment and cause machines to break/bind up.
  • Avoid plastic bags and bring reusable bags wherever you go.
Paper Cups
  • Most paper cups have a plastic lining on the inside.
  • This plastic lining cannot be separated when recycling paper back to pulp.
  • Plastic linings create enough contamination to ruin a batch of paper recycling.
  • Do not put any paper cups into the recycling bin.
  • If the cup says compostable, it can go into the compost bin.
Wrappers and Packets
  • Do not recycle film plastics or thin plastic films in your normal recycling bin.
  • Wrappers and packets cannot be easily seperated with sorting equipment.
  • Wrappers and packets often do not have an end market to turn into a new product.
  • Some companies, like Teracycle, have options if wrappers are kept separate and shipped directly to them.
Frozen Food Boxes
  • Frozen food boxes have a "chemical wet strength" barrier that soaks through paper fibers.
  • "Wet strength" is used to prevent freezer burn or leakage in transport.
  • This chemical also contaminates the paper recycling process when mixed with normal paper fibers.
  • Some companies make recyclable frozen food boxes, but most frozen boxes are not recyclable so keep them out of the recycling.
Styrofoam
  • Styrofoam is not acceptable in your normal recycling bin.
  • #6PS (PolyStyrene) block foam is a hard-to-recycle item and has to be kept separate, clean and dry to be recycled at a special location (CHaRM in Boulder).
  • Styrofoam serving ware (cups, plates, to-go boxes, utensils, etc.) cannot be recycled and must go to the landfill.
  • Styrofoam packing peanuts are not recyclable. Please put them in a bag so they don't fly away, then put them in the landfill bin.
Neon and Goldenrod Paper
  • Neon, Goldenrod, and any heavily dyed paper is not recyclable.
  • The paper fibers have too much dye to be removed without a lot of chemicals, if at all.
  • Like with a red sock in a load of white laundry, neon and goldenrod paper will dye the rest of the recycled paper and ruin the batch.
Ceramics
  • Ceramics contaminate the glass recycling process.
  • Ceramics have a different melting temperature than glass.
  • If mixed with glass during recycling, ceramics cause impurities in the glass, causing it to break.
  • Donate any dishware, mugs or reusable dishware to your local thrift store.
  • Ceramics cannot be recycled themselves and must go to the landfill.
Mirrors, Lightbulbs and Glass Panes
  • These glass types all contaminate the glass recycling process.
  • They have a different melting temperature than glass.
  • If mixed with glass, these items will cause impurities in the glass, causing it to break.
  • Donate any reusable mirrors to your local thrift store.
  • Mirrors cannot be recycled themselves and must be put in the landfill.
  • Light Bulbs can be taken to a hard-to-recycle location or must be put in the landfill.
  • Glass Panes can be taken to a hard-to-recycle location or must be put in the landfill.
Lab Glass and Pyrex
  • Lab glass and Pyrex have different melting temperatures than glass in drinking bottles.
  • Any amount of these items will contaminate the recycling process for glass drinking bottles.
  • No markets exist to use recycled lab glass or Pyrex, so they must go to the landfill.