Residence Hall Recycling
As of August 2023, all residence halls with an elevator have access to recycling on each floor.* Each dorm room has a personal blue bin for collecting recyclable materials. Residents are responsible for emptying their recyclables into a blue toter in the residence hall. Materials such as rigid plastic, glass, metal, paper, and paperboard can be taken to a toter. Large cardboard packaging (i.e., shipping boxes) should be taken to a gray cardboard cart to be recycled. Placing cardboard in the recycling toters can take up a lot of space and reduce the capacity for other materials to be diverted from the landfill.
Building Services Custodial staff roll out the toters every week in the early hours of the morning to be picked up by the University's recycling servicer, Recycling Works. If you are experiencing issues with your recycling pick-up, please contact Building Services at 574-631-5615.
*Some floors may not have recycling due to accessibility issues and spatial limitations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often will my residence hall waste be serviced, and by whom?
- Building Services custodial staff service centrally located recycling toters every week. Personal bins in your dorm are self-serviced; you must empty your bin in a centralized recycling toter.
Where do my recyclables go after they are picked up?
- Full recycling toters are picked up every week by Recycling Works. Recyclable materials are then sorted at their facility, and distributed to become something new!
Who do I contact if I am having trouble with my recycling pick-up?
- If you are experiencing issues with your recycling pick-up, please contact Building Services at 574-631-5615.
How clean should my recyclable materials be before going to the toter?
- Recyclable materials should be mostly free of food debris, grease, or liquids.
Why can't I recycle soft plastics, like plastic bags, through the single-stream service, even though they have an accepted recycling number?
- Soft plastics are considered "tricky" materials to recycle, as they tangle up the equipment that sorts and processes recyclables. At this time, our current recycling servicer is unable to accept soft plastics. To learn about specialty recycling options, use the A-Z Recycling Directory at the top of this page.