What happens when you recycle incorrectly at UNC?
UNC has implemented a number of successful initiatives to improve solid waste management. The University recovers about 7 percent more recyclable material than the national average.
BJ Tipton, the program manager at UNC’s Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, said contamination rates of recycling on campus reveal that the community must increase its awareness of recycling guidelines. She said this is important in order to continue contributing to the North Carolina recycling industry and espousing sustainability.
She said the bins near UNC’s walkways are, on average, contaminated with 40 to 60 percent non-recyclable materials. If a recycling bin has a high rate of contamination, it will most likely be sent to the landfill. She said non-recyclable objects mixed in with recyclables can contaminate the entire batch of materials and may end up costing the recycling facility a lot of money and time.
Tipton said her focus is on getting students to recycle right, not recycle more. She said anything containing food or liquid is non-recyclable, so throw away your takeaway box that’s smothered in Mediterranean Deli hummus.
She said paper and plastic cups (except plastic cups sold at UNC’s athletic stadiums) are non-recyclable, yet they present one of the largest menaces to successful recycling on campus.
“When I say no cups, I mean no cups,” she said.
According to UNC recycling guidelines, other non-recyclable items include:
- plastic bags
- cup lids
- straws
- clamshell plastic containers
- pizza boxes
- chip bags
- solo cups
So, what can be recycled at UNC?
Tipton said aluminum and steel cans, glass, mixed paper (loose paper, books, newspapers), plastic and glass bottles, jars and tubs can be recycled at UNC. She said she wants to shift the focus on recycling away from numbered plastics and toward shapes of containers.
According to UNC’s Campus Recycling website, students can only recycle plastics #2, #4 and #5. The website has information on recycling regular and special materials, composting in residence halls and programs the school has implemented to improve solid waste management.
