SUSTAINABILITY:
• Meeting current social and economic needs without
compromising environmental resources for future generations.
• Recycling is a visible part of being sustainable.
Participation is recycling is a building block for promoting sustainable
development on campus.
Do you recycle already?
How many of you recycle at home?
Rules Change:
• Every place has slightly different rules
and restrictions for recycling.
• As recycling technology evolves, the
system for recycling also changes.
I want to clarify current rules for recycling at SLU.
Recycling is collected in blue receptacles with blue liners.
Blue bags of recycling
go into a dumpster
with a yellow lid.
Waste Management empties the dumpster and
delivers the contents to a RockTenn Recycling Center.
Local Recycling Center Locations
03/2013
RockTenn recycles SLU’s paper,
metal, plastic and glass.
What fills the blue bins? What goes in landfill trash?
PAPER
FOOD
METAL
LIQUIDS
PLASTIC
STYROFOAM
GLASS
For you to keep:
PAPER
• If you can tear it, you can recycle it.
• Cardboard is a type of paper.
• Even if it’s wet from water or a little
soiled, you can recycle it.
A little bit of food is ok.
Like a greasy pizza box
can be recycled!
PLASTIC
•
•
•
•
Look for the stamp.
SLU collects all # 1-7 (no styrofoam).
Lids can stay on.
Don’t have to be rinsed, just empty.
Done with that yogurt
cup? No need to clean
it, just recycle it!
METAL
GLASS
• Should be almost or completely empty.
• Lids can stay on.
• They do not have to be rinsed, just empty.
Recyclables don’t have to be
perfect to get recycled.
• If you’ve used it up, you can toss it in.
• But, food, liquid and trash should be less than 5%.
• Too much trash in the recycling contaminates it and
forces us to send the whole batch to the landfill.
Common reasons to Recycle:
 Less harmful to the


planet + human health
Protects trees, ecosystems, and animals
Less air, water, and soil pollution
 Conserves resources

Keeps valuable, non-renewable resources usable
 Creates
more jobs than landfilling
 Saves money: more cost effective than landfilling
Recycling removal costs less.
Recycle to save money.
Waste & Recycling Expenses
% Change
110%
100%
90%
% Change
80%
70%
60%
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
Since SLU has introduced single-stream recycling, waste
collection costs have been slashed by 18%, saving tens of
thousands of dollars annually.
Recycling removal costs less.
• Removing trash from campus
costs 33% more than
removing recycling.*
• Therefore, throwing
recyclables into the trash is
like tossing money into a
landfill.
• The more we maximize our
recycling potential, the more
money we can save and divert
from landfills to other money
and resource-saving
sustainability initiatives on
campus.
*33% is an approximation
Campus Recycling & Landfill Trash Collections in Tons
2,900
2,700
7.9%
Diversion
Rate
9.5%
Diversion
Rate
12.1%
Diversion
Rate
Weights are estimated
Total Tonnage
2,500
2,300
14.3%
Diversion
Rate
2,100
1,900
1,700
1,500
Single-Stream
Recycling
Recycling
in Tons
Waste
in Tons
Landfill
Trash
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
227
269
319
325
2,657
2,553
2,316
1,947
Remember:
When it comes to recycling…
• Collect paper, metal, plastic,
and glass together in the same
containers
• Put food, liquids, and
styrofoam in the trash.
• Put recycling into dumpsters
with yellow lids.
• Place a FAMIS work order
(K:Recycling) to request
pickups for electronics or
appliances as these are
recycled separately as “ewaste.”
• Contact us with questions or
concerns:
greenbilliken@slu.edu.