For many years, SUNY Fredonia has been recycling tons of corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, glass, tires, batteries, plastic, and motor oil. Starting in Fall 2007, the university expanded these efforts to offer campus-wide recycling in all buildings. New recycling centers have been added to the lobbies, café areas, and loading docks of all campus buildings. Just look for the recycling center signs throughout campus, and start doing your part to help the campus achieve a more sustainable future. The following paragraphs provide a brief overview of the benefits of recycling along with information on how to recycle appropriate materials.
Click here to view a campus map showing each recycling station
Click here for a detailed list of all the recycling locations
Recycling Procedures for Faculty, Staff, and Students
Watch and Learn the separation process for the Combined Recycling Program (Single Stream Recycling)
NEWS!
Shoe Recycling and Reuse Program - April 27, 2009 to May 19, 2009
Facilities Services announces new shoe recycling program with drop off locations located in all Residence Hall lobby areas, the Williams Center and Athletic Complex. The program is open to all on-campus residence and off-campus students. Click here to view the flyer.
Waste Wipe Out Initiative 2009 - April 27, 2009 to May 19, 2009
Collection bins for the Chautauqua County Rural Ministries have been distributed to all Residence Halls. Students are encouraged to place unwanted items in the bins for re-use. Faculty, staff and off campus students may drop off items at the Williams Center. Click here to view the flyer.
ACCEPTABLE ITEMS INCLUDE:
Unopened, non-perishable food items • Used clothing • Clean bedding/linens • Concrete blocks
Operable electronic items • Lightly used carpeting • Window treatments • Microwaves/toaster ovens
Room organizers • Furniture • Decorative/novelty items • Unused school/office supplies • Books
Sporting goods • Exercise equipment • Lamps • Lightly used kitchen items • Ironing boards
Why recycle?
Recycling makes both economic and environmental sense. By reducing our extraction and use of virgin materials, recycling saves energy, reduces pollution, lessens greenhouse gas emissions, and keeps millions of tons of garbage from winding up in landfills.
According to a 1998 EPA pamphlet on recycling (5306W), manufacturing and recycling one ton of recycled office paper reduces total energy consumption by 43 percent, net greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent, and hazardous air pollutant emissions by 90 percent.
More recently the National Recycling Coalition has reported that recycling aluminum uses 95 percent less energy than creating it from bauxite ore. The organization has also found that making "recycled steel saves 60%, recycled newspaper 40%, recycled plastics 70%, and recycled glass 40%" (www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-benefits.html).
Of course, recycling is only one small part of Fredonia's efforts to adopt more environmentally sound practices. Students along with faculty and staff members must all work together to reduce our energy and goods consumption and to reuse materials prior to recycling them. Remember the old adage: Reduce, Reuse, and then Recycle.
What can I recycle?
The campus has partnered with Westfield Disposal and Abitibi Paper Retriever to offer recycling of paper, plastic (#1-#7), aluminum, tin, glass, cardboard, box board (cereal boxes), books, magazines, clean wet paper towels and much more that individuals use on campus. Please place all materials in the appropriate labeled containers. Additional information on recycling specific items is available by clicking on the links included with specific items:
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Paper
All colors and types of office paper, Post-it Notes, junk mail, newspapers, magazines, fliers, phone books, soft cover books, fliers, pamphlets, envelopes and manila folders may be recycled in green or blue totes, desk-side containers and large green or blue bins located throughout the campus. Students, faculty and staff members, and community members can also bring their paper directly to the large bright green and yellow Abitibi Paper Retriever containers, which are located by Fenton Hall and Gregory Hall. -
Cardboard
Corrugated cardboard should be flattened and placed in one of the specially marked large green containers near Erie Hall, Gregory Hall, University Commons, Alumni Hall, Grissom Hall, Steele Hall, Fenton Hall or the Services Building on Ring Road. Pizza boxes and milk cartons may not be recycled. Please do not place cardboard or hardboard in the Abitibi containers. -
Plastics
All plastic containers numbered 1 through 7 may be recycled in any green or blue recycling container throughout campus. Use the small numbered recycling triangle to check if your product can be recycled. Please empty any liquids from the container, and, if possible, rinse it out before recycling. Motor oil, hard plastic, Styrofoam, and most deli containers are not acceptable. Please place these items in the regular trash. Removal of labels and caps is not required. -
Aluminum and Tin
Soda and juice cans along with household metals, such as soup cans and coffee cans may be recycled in any green or blue recycling container throughout the campus. Please empty the contents of the container, and if possible, rinse it before recycling. Removal of labels and crushing of containers is not required. -
Other Metals
Most metal furniture and equipment can be reused or recycled. Please contact Lois Valentine at 673-3216. Hazardous metals such as mercury must be disposed of as Hazardous Waste and cannot be placed in the regular metal recycling bins. -
Scrap Metal
Scrap metal is collected on campus from many areas including renovation projects. The metal is recycled through a local company allowing SUNY Fredonia to avoid the cost of disposal and to help the environment. -
Glass
All clear and colored glass jars and bottles may be recycled in any green or blue recycling container throughout the campus. Please empty beverage bottles and rinse other glass containers such as spaghetti sauce jars and salsa jars. Incandescent light bulbs, mirrors, dishes and drinking glasses may not be recycled on campus. -
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL's)
Should be given directly to a member of the custodial staff; do not place them in the regular trash or in a recycling container. For further questions refer to the Custodial Services webpage.
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Printer Cartridges and Old Cell Phones
Several academic departments and campus offices recycle these items on their own, but all campus and community members can take print cartridges and old cell phones to recycling bins located at the front desk of Reed Library, the Student Affairs Office on the second floor of the Williams Center, and the Media Center on the second floor of Thompson Hall. In addition, new recycling bins are located at University Commons near the book store and at the Williams Center near the first floor entrance facing the spine bridge.
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Plastic Grocery Bags
Bags may be recycled at the new recycling bins located at University Commons near the book store, at the Williams Center, Thompson Hall, McEwen Hall, Mason Hall, Fenton Hall and at all Residence Halls or should be returned to the store for proper recycling. The bags cannot be mixed with the on campus recycling. -
Special Event Recycling Program
Recycling containers are provided at large campus events including Commencement, Fredfest, Alumni Weekend, Concerts, Department Picnics and many more events. To request special event recycling, contact Facilities Services at 673-3452.
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Construction and Demolition Materials
Large roll-off style dumpsters are provided at many construction and renovation projects. Many large items are sent off campus for reuse or recycling. Items such as metals and cardboard shipping boxes are recycled using the on campus green recycling containers.
Off-Campus Recycling
Recycling your household materials at home or in your apartment is important as well-especially if we want to strengthen local recycling industries. If you live in an apartment, ask your landlord for a schedule for curbside pick-up recycling or contact the disposal company yourself. You can also take your recyclables to the local transfer station, where additional materials such as colored glass are sometime accepted. Local stores such Tops, Quality Markets, Aldi and Wal-Mart also have recycling centers for recycling deposit bottles and plastic bags.
Additional Information
For information about recycling campus office equipment and computers, please contact Lois Valentine at 673-3216. Students wishing to obtain individual recycling containers for their rooms or suite areas may contact their RAs. Staff and faculty members wishing to obtain a desk-side recycling container (at no cost to their departments), should contact the central storehouse at 673-3484. SUNY Fredonia recycles does recycle batteries, motor oil, tires and other materials from campus owned vehicles and equipment. The university does not accept such materials from individual students, employees, or the general public. Please recycle them on your own.