A-Z Sorting Guide

Small kitchen appliances and electronics can be dropped off at residence front desks (CMH, UWP, V1, MKV, REV, CLV) starting December 2, 2019 as part of a new residence donation pilot program.

Batteries are considered hazardous materials and should not be put in the garbage or any recycling bins. Drop them off at the following battery bins around campus:

• SLC: Lower Atrium across from Campus Tech Shop
• DP: Main floor, across from Circulation Desk
• DC: Main entrance
• V1: Front desk
• UWP: Beck Hall, front desk 
• CLV: Community Centre, front desk

If you have collected a number of batteries in your department, you may also call Greg Friday (ext. 35755) from the Safety Office to pick them up, or drop them off at any hazardous materials office.

Bicycles are not recyclable but are suitable for donation. Visit the Region of Waterloo's Drop-off Programs page > Residential drop-off locations, fees, and programs page > Drop-off programs for residents > Bicycles for more information on their bicycle reuse and refurbishment program.

Otherwise, bicycles should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins. 

On campus: Softcover books or hardcover books with the cover removed can be placed in Papers (grey) recycling bins. You can also donate used textbooks and books to the Textbooks for Change program; please refer to the Textbooks drop down tab for a list of drop-off locations. 

At home: All books can be recycled in the Paper and Bags bin through the Region of Waterloo curbside recycling program. 

Glass bottles can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

Plastic bottles can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

On campus: Boxboard (eg. tissue boxes, cereal boxes) are considered cardboard on campus and should be folded and placed next to recycling depots/stations or brought to outdoor bins. 

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects boxboard in the Papers and Bags bin through their curbside recycling collection. 

Bubble wrap and any envelopes with bubble-wrap padding are not currently recyclable and should be placed in the garbage.

Please fold cardboard boxes and place next to a recycling depot.

Cans can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

Cell phones can be dropped off in several e-waste bins across campus:

• DC: Library
• SLC: Lower Atrium
• V1: Front desk

Broken ceramics should be carefully placed into the Garbage (black) bins. If they are still in good condition, they can be donated!

Chip bags are not recyclable and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins. 

Cling wrap is not recyclable and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

If you have used clothing, bring it to one of these drop off locations managed by Sustainable Campus Initiative! They sell or recycle all used textiles.

• CLV: Laundry room
• V1: In front of laundry room 
• UWP: Grand Commons Community Centre, near Tim Horton's
• CMH: Beside front desk by window
• MKV: Opposite to front desk
• REV: Opposite to front desk
• Velocity Residence: By front desk

Coffee cups are treated differently on and off campus. 

On campus: please separate the cup and lid. Place the cup in the Papers (grey) bins and the lid in the Recycling (blue) bins. 

At home: Separate the cup and lid, and place both in your containers bin in the Region of Waterloo. 

Did you know that last year, coffee cups made up nearly 8% of our garbage on campus?

Remember, reducing is always better than recycling. Whenever possible, bring your own mug and receive a 20 cent discount on coffee/tea at all Food Service locations, and a 10 cent discount at all franchise locations on campus.

All coffee pods or disks (compostable, biodegradable, aluminum, plastic or cardboard/paper) cannot be recycled and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bin.

Departments may consider using a program like TerraCycle to recycle coffee pods, though this is done at their own cost.

On campus: Coffee trays are considered cardboard on campus and should be placed next to a recycling depot. 

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects coffee trays in the Papers and Bags bin through their curbside recycling collection. 

Plastic cups labelled as "compostable" should be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

Computers, monitors and other computer equipment can be dropped off at Central Stores, East Campus Hall. 

Please fill out an asset disposal form and follow any other instructions available on the Central Stores website.

Soft contact lenses and used packaging can now be dropped off at the Cornea, Contact Lens & Myopia Control Clinic in the School of Optometry on campus. Collection bags can also be picked up free of charge.

Please do not drop off unopened packages that contain solutions.

Glass containers can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

Plastic containers with label 1-7 can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

Please dump any food waste into the Organics (green) bin (if not available, place food waste in the Garbage (black) bin). 

On campus: Compostable cutlery (e.g. wooden chopsticks, wooden skewers, and wooden stir sticks) should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins on campus.

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects compostable cutlery (e.g. wooden chopsticks, wooden skewers, and wooden stir sticks) in the Organics (green) bin.

On campus: Plastic cutlery with label 1-7 can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bin on campus.

At home: The Region of Waterloo does not recycle plastic cutlery, and it should be placed in the garbage.

Diapers are not recyclable and should be placed into the Garbage (black) bins.

Small e-waste items (e.g. keyboards, mice, writing utensils, ink/toner cartridges, cell phones, cables, cameras, tablets) can be dropped off in several e-waste bins across campus:

• DC: Library
• SLC: Lower Atrium
• V1: Front desk

Residence Pilot Program: Starting December 2, 2019, bring your household electronics to any residence front desk (CMH, UWP, V1, MKV, REV, CLV).

Larger e-waste items can be dropped off at Central Stores, East Campus Hall. For a full list of acceptable items and drop-off procedures, please visit the Central Stores website.

On campus: Egg cartons are considered cardboard on campus and should be placed next to a recycling depot. 

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects egg cartons in the Papers and Bags bin through their curbside recycling collection. 

Envelopes with or without windows can be placed in the Paper (grey) recycling bins. 

File folders (heavier paper stock) can be placed into the paper (grey) recycling bins.

Food waste can be placed in the Organics (green) bins, which will be available in main Food Services locations across campus. Please do not place any plastics in the organics bins! 

Food waste includes:

• Food scraps
• Coffee grounds 
• Coffee filters
• Tea bags 
• Bones/shells 

Please make sure you collect your organics in a certified compostable bag. 

Campus Compost also has several bins where you can drop off food waste for collection in our on-site composter. For all locations, visit the Campus Compost website.

If you are interested in organics collection in your department (e.g. kitchen, lounge), please contact Campus Compost to inquire about their pick-up service.

Fountain drink cups (wax lined) are not recyclable and must be placed in the Garbage (black) bins. 

Used furniture from office renovations can be recycled through Central Stores, East Campus Hall.

Please fill out an asset disposal form and follow any other instructions available on the Central Stores website.

Hanging folders from file cabinets can be recycled with mixed papers. Please remove the metal strips from the top and place those in the garbage.

Hazardous waste is toxic and should not be placed in the garbage or any recycling bins. For more information on proper handling of hazardous waste materials, visit the Safety Office's Hazardous Waste Standard.

If you have a large amount of hazardous waste that needs to be collected, please contact Greg Friday (ext. 35755) from the Safety Office.

Empty household cleaner containers can be recycled in the Recycling (blue) bins. The disposal of any remaining liquid depends on the product and should not be dumped down the drain without first checking the Region of Waterloo's Household Hazardous Waste page.

Ink and toner cartridges can be dropped off in several e-waste bins across campus:

• DC: Library
• SLC: Lower Atrium
• V1: Front desk

They can also be dropped off at Central Stores, East Campus Hall.

Jewelry is not recyclable but is suitable for donation. Visit the Region of Waterloo's Residential Reduce and Reuse Options page > Directory of local programs, businesses and organizations > Jewellery for a list of donation locations. 

Otherwise, jewelry should be placed into the Garbage (black) bins. 

Juice boxes can be placed in the Recycling (blue) recycling bins. Please remove any plastic straws and place them in the garbage.

Keyboards and mice can be dropped off in several e-waste bins across campus:

• DC: Library
• SLC: Lower Atrium
• V1: Front desk

Lightbulbs are considered a hazardous material and should not be thrown into the garbage or recycling bins. Please contact Greg Friday (ext. 35755) from the Safety Office if you have a surplus of lightbulbs that need to be disposed of.

Magazines can be placed in the Papers (grey) recycling bins.

Disposable menstrual products such as tampons, pads, and liners, are not recyclable and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins. 

Milk and cream cartons can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

On campus: Paper napkins should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins on campus.

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects paper napkins in the Organics (green) bin.

Newspaper can be placed in the Papers (grey) recycling bins.

Office paper can be placed in the Papers (grey) recycling bins.

You can also drop off coloured and white printer/copy paper in Fine Paper (white) bins, located near printer queues and in copy rooms. 

Fun Fact: All fine paper collected through the white bin program is sent to a recycling facility that re-uses the materials as paper towels. These get shipped back to campus for use in the washrooms!

On campus: Paper plates should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins on campus.

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects paper plates in the Organics (green) bin.

Some paper ream packaging can be recycled. If it has a waxy coating (similar to a magazine print), it can be recycled in the Mixed Papers (grey) bins on campus. If it has a plastic film on the package, then it should go into the Garbage (black) bin.

Please note that the recyclable packaging should not be placed in the fine paper bins located next to many printers (usually white bins).

On campus: Paper towels and paper napkins should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins on campus.

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects paper towels and napkins in the Organics (green) bin.

Pens, pencils and other writing utensils can be dropped off in several e-waste bins across campus:

• DC: Library
• SLC: Lower Atrium
• V1: Front desk

Pizza boxes (empty!) can be broken down and placed in the dedicated cardboard/boxboard bins with a yellow label. Where these are not available, they can be broken down and placed beside recycling depots.

Please note, if there is a lot of grease in the pizza box, it should be placed in the garbage.

On campus: Plastic bags (eg. shopping bags, bread bags, ziploc bags) cannot be recycled on campus and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

At home: Plastic bags can be recycled through Region of Waterloo curbside collection and can be placed in your Paper and Bags recycling bins. If you have multiple bags, please place them into one bag and place them in the bin.

Plastic strapping from shipping boxes or other products should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

On campus: Soft plastic wrapping (eg. water bottle or pop case wrapping) cannot be recycled on campus and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects soft plastic wrapping with other plastic bags in the Paper and Bags bin through curbside recycling. 

Post-it notes are recyclable and can be placed in the Papers (grey) bins. 

Disposable razors and razor blades are not recyclable and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins. 

Receipts are recyclable and can be placed in the Papers (grey) bins. 

Scrap metal can be recycled through Central Stores, East Campus Hall.

Please fill out an asset disposal form and follow any other instructions available on the Central Stores website.

Scrap wood and brush can be collected by Plant Operations (ext. 33793) and converted into mulch. 

On campus: Paper straws should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins on campus.

At home: The Region of Waterloo collects paper straws in the Organics (green) bin.

Plastic straws are not recyclable and must be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

Fun Fact: The University of Waterloo phased out plastic straws across campus Fall 2018 and replaced them with paper straws. When eating out off-campus, consider purchasing a stainless steel straw (or other reusable straw types) - they are portable, easy to clean, and help keep plastic out of our oceans and natural environment!

Shipping boxes can be broken down and placed beside recycling depots.

Styrofoam is not recyclable and must be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

Small televisions can be dropped off at Central Stores, East Campus Hall. 

Please fill out an asset disposal form and follow any other instructions available on the Central Stores website.

Textbooks can be recycled at the following locations:

• Feds Used Books (SLC lower atrium)
• ML 355
• EV1 138A
• ​PAS 2012
• Library - Davis 
• Library - Porter
• Library - St. Jerome's
• Balsille School - 67 Erb St. W.
• St. Paul's - Next to the Greenhouse Office
• School of Pharmacy - Victoria Street (Need a FOB to access)
• V1 Community Center - Hallway to the right of the front desk
• UWP Grand Commons Community centre - Between Eby and Beck Hall 

 View the Campus Map for the above locations.

Clean tin foil and aluminum foil trays can be placed in the Recycling (blue) bins.

If your tin foil is dirty (e.g. baked on food), then it must be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

Toys are not recyclable but is suitable for donation. Visit the Region of Waterloo's Residential Reduce and Reuse Options page > Directory of local programs, businesses and organizations > Toys for a list of donation locations. 

Otherwise, toys should be placed into the Garbage (black) bins. 

Wax paper (eg. Subway wraps, Tim Horton's bagel/sandwich liners) is not recyclable and must be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

Plastic wrappers (eg. chocolate bars, granola bars, candy) are not recyclable and must be placed in the Garbage (black) bins.

Writing utensils can be dropped off in several e-waste bins across campus:

• DC: Library
• SLC: Lower Atrium
• V1: Front desk

On campus: Ziploc bags cannot be recycled on campus and should be placed in the Garbage (black) bins. 

At home: Clean ziploc bags can be recycled through Region of Waterloo curbside collection and can be placed in your Paper and Bags recycling bin. If you have multiple bags, please place them in one bag and place that bag in your recycling bin.