Take Action: Recycle

Your challenge: Turn trash into a resource and avoid sending it to the landfill.

• Recycle paper, cans and bottles.
• Find out what else you can recycle and where — including electronics and lab materials.

Recycle paper, cans, bottles

You can recycle paper, glass, plastic and cardboard at recycling bins next to nearly any UC Davis trash can — in all residence halls, most building lobbies, offices and outdoor bins. Some recycling bins on campus are positioned next to composting bins as well, to further reduce waste sent to the campus landfill. Wondering exactly which items can be recycled in each of these bins?

Bottles and cans:

• Aluminum cans
• Plastics #1 and #2 (find the number on the bottom of the container)
• Glass bottles and jars of any color
• Steel and tin cans
• Metal alcohol cans from labs
• Do not include: Plastics #3 – #7 or Pyrex glass dishes

Paper:

• White or colored paper (staples are OK)
• Sticky notes
• Envelopes
• Magazines
• Newspaper
• Paperboard snack or cereal boxes
• Grocery bags
• Phone books
• Junk mail
• Do not include: Photos, soiled tissues, wax paper

Cardboard:

• Corrugated and layered cardboard, empty and flattened 
• Do not include: Waxed cardboard, food waste, packing peanuts, paper, paperboard boxes

Cardboard can be placed next to any cluster of recycling bins in central campus locations (e.g. lobbies, outdoor bins). Cardboard is also collected for recycling from clearly marked tan dumpsters located throughout campus.

What else you can recycle

With a little extra effort, you can recycle each of these additional items either somewhere on campus or through a partner company:

Multi-bins located throughout campus collect CDs, inkjet cartridges, batteries and small electronics for recycling.

• Small electronics: Small electronics that have a circuit board, such as cell phones, calculators and flash drives, can be recycled at any of the blue multi-bins on campus. You can find multi-bins locations on the campus map. If you need to dispose of larger electronics, contact Bargain Barn for help with recycling or reselling your electronic materials. If you have electronics at home to recycle, the Yolo County landfill also recycles electronic waste.
• CDs and DVDs: These discs can be recycled in the blue multi-bins located throughout campus. Discs can also be mailed to Waste Reduction and Recycling.
• Batteries: Batteries can be recycled in the multi-bins around campus, including nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries, cell phone batteries, AA, AAA, C, D, 6-volt and 9-volt. Batteries can also be recycled through Bargain Barn. If your office recycles batteries frequently, you can request a desktop recycling bin specifically for rechargeable batteries through Call2Recycle or specifically for non-rechargeable batteries by contacting Waste Reduction and Recycling. 
• Printer toner and inkjet cartridges: Anyone on campus can recycle empty toner cartridges by placing them in inter-campus mail with the address "Toner Recycle." Inkjet cartridges can be dropped off at the blue multi-bins located throughout campus, and can also be recycled through inter-campus mail, but mailed to Waste Reduction and Recycling.
• Fluorescent bulbs: Contact Facilities Management to request a work order with the electrical shop, where someone can pick up your fluorescent bulbs (including compact fluorescent bulbs or CFLs) for recycling.
• Transparencies: Transparency sheets, both whole and shredded, can be recycled by mail to 3M’s recycling program at: 3M Recycle Program, c/o Gemark, 99 Stevens Lane, Exeter, PA 18643.
• Floppy disks: Contact Bargain Barn to recycle.
• Video tapes: Contact Bargain Barn to recycle.
• Packing peanuts: Packing peanuts, sometimes called Styrofoam peanuts, are also recycled on campus at the Craft Center and in the Genome Building’s third-floor lounge. If you have some packing peanuts to recycle on campus, please contact Waste Reduction and Recycling for pick-up.

Recycle electronics through Bargain Barn

A wide variety of e-waste can be recycled or reused through Bargain Barn, if the objects are owned by campus units. Here are some highlights of what can be recycled:

• Computers and peripherals: Desktop and laptop computers can be recycled. Computer peripherals can also be recycled, including keyboards, mice, monitors, flash drives, power supply units, cables, and connectors; server equipment; main frames; anything with printed circuit boards.
• Office appliances: Laser scanners, printers, copiers, telephones, fax machines and projectors.
• Audio and visual equipment: CD, DVD, video cassette, Beta and DAT players and recorders. Digital cameras, LCD and LED monitors, electronic cables,  cell phones, calculators, stereo equipment, car stereos and video game consoles. 
  
• Kitchen appliances: Refrigerators, washers, dryers, water heaters, air-conditioning units, ovens, dish washers, microwaves and small appliances such as blenders and toasters.

Lab and industrial materials for recycling

Materials used in laboratories and for campus research can also be recycled. Below are tips for some of the more common requests. Please contact us if you have any other materials that you would like to recycle.

• Alcohol cans: Metal alcohol cans used in many labs are recyclable on campus in any of the bins for bottles and cans. Cans must be empty, dated and labeled for recycling.
• Pipette tip boxes: Bins for recycling pipette tip boxes and inserts are used in many labs on campus. Contact Waste Reduction and Recycling to request a pipette tip box recycling bin for your lab. 
• Large, empty containers: For any containers larger than five gallons or for containers that were used with hazardous waste, review directions from Environmental Health and Safety. Many of these containers can be reused or recycled. 
• Wooden pallets: Reusable wooden pallets can be dropped off in a neat pile in front of the Support Facilities buildings off of Putah Creek Lodge Road. Broken pallets should be recycled at the UC Davis landfill on County Road 98; Bargain Barn can also coordinate picking up broken pallets for salvage. 
• Scrap metals: University departments can recycle metal scraps, which cannot include electronics or other non-metal components. Large pieces should be recycled at the UC Davis landfill. Smaller pieces can be recycled in campus bins at: 
  • Bainer Hall
  • Physics & Geology
  • Western Ag Center
  • Crocker Lab
  • Hoagland Hall
  • Art Building
  • South Silo
  • Facilities
  • Bargain Barn