Recycling FAQ: Become a Recycling Trivia Champion
Do you have some questions about the new recycling system on campus? You’re in luck! Notre Dame Sustainability and Building Services are excited to present our Recycling FAQ series. Each week, we will focus on one aspect of the campus recycling program and answer some frequently asked questions (e.g., How clean do materials have to be in order to go in the toter?). After each FAQ, we’ll link a Google Form with some trivia questions.
How to play ND Recycling Trivia:
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Read each week’s recycling FAQ.
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Answer the trivia question by completing the Google Form. Hint: the answer will be hidden in the FAQ.
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For each week you submit the correct answer, your name will be added to a raffle drawn at the end of the series (end of the spring 2024 semester). The more questions you get right over the course of the series, the better odds you have of your name being selected. The winner of the raffle gets a secret prize.
Go Irish, Go Recycle!
Prize Updates
For students: Our student trivia winner will be picked on Friday, May 3! The winner will be emailed directly.
For staff & faculty: We will be holding two additional trivia bonus rounds just for staff and faculty. The staff and faculty trivia winners will be selected at the end of the bonus rounds.
Week 8: How to be a Recycling Advocate
With the semester wrapping up, our final trivia topic is how to do your part to support campus recycling.
Why is it important that I support recycling on campus?
Recycling is something small we can all do to give back to Our Common Home. In an earlier section we discussed the carbon sequestration equivalency impact just a week’s worth of our Single Stream material had (akin to 7 acres of forest over the course of one year!).
But it also goes beyond that. By “Recycling Right,” you are also serving as good colleagues to the hundreds of our Building Service custodians on the front line of waste collection at Notre Dame. By correctly following the protocols, you are showing respect for the work they do every day.
What are three recycling things I can do to help support our colleagues in Building Services?
We asked our friends in Building Services, and here is what they said:
#1: Break down cardboard boxes, and if a cardboard cart is close by, please use that as a first option.
#2: Take your own recyclables to the toter, and please remember: no bags.
#3: Keep food and liquids out of recycling toters.
Is there anything else I should know or do?
Be a recycling advocate! We know the system is not perfect, and there are things we can do to improve. But change and improvement—in anything worth doing—takes some time. Please be patient as we actively work to expand recycling and make these improvements.
Also, we want to hear from you! Let us know what is working well, what can be improved, and what areas on campus we should prioritize in the future. Share some of this feedback today by participating in this week’s trivia!
Above all, please know the following: yes, Notre Dame is recycling, and yes, what you do makes a difference.
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 8 here.
Week 7: Other Waste Diversion Opportunities
While our focus in this series has been on our single-stream recycling toter program, this is just one of many waste diversion pathways currently in place on campus. Here, we tackle other materials that have their own unique processes—such as batteries, e-waste, and food waste.
What should I do with batteries?
Many batteries pose fire hazard risks or contain toxic chemicals that could damage the environment, so proper disposal is critical. Below is a list of what to do with university-owned batteries. Before pickup, please be sure to tape terminals with electrical tape, or place each battery in an individual plastic bag.
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Lithium-ion batteries = work order request
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Button-cell batteries = work order request
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Rechargeable batteries such as Ni-MH, Ni-Zn, or Ni-Cd = work order request
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Alkaline batteries = Landfill bin, or see below question.
For personal batteries, please visit the A-Z Directory to find drop-off locations for proper disposal.
Do alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, 9-Volt, D, and C) really need to go in the trash? That seems like such a waste.
Unfortunately, for most recycling companies, there is not enough financial incentive to recycle alkaline batteries. The materials are considered not as financially valuable, and extracting that material can be an expensive process. In short, for most companies, it’s not worth it.
There are select companies such as Call2Recycle where you can purchase mail-in battery recycling kits, as a means to recycle alkalines. This is the most preferred option. For more details, please see here.
What do I do with e-waste?
E-waste consists of electronics such as computers, monitors, and copiers, as well as many other items. However, what we can do with these items depends on whether the electronics are owned by the University, or owned by you.
If the e-waste is owned by the University, you can submit a work order request under the Surplus category. Surplus will evaluate whether it can be repaired or refurbished for resale. If not, it will be sent to our e-waste recycling service provider, Kuusakoski.
If the e-waste is owned by you, please refer to the A-Z Directory to find local drop-off opportunities, such as through the Solid Waste Management District of St. Joseph County or through local businesses.
Has the University ever considered a plastic bag recycling program?
The University continues to evaluate the need for a plastic bag and plastic film recycling drop-off program on campus. As a first step, Sustainability partnered with Student Government to create temporary drop-off stations around Move-In.
Sustainability is currently prioritizing other waste streams where there may be larger opportunities for diverting waste, such as expanding single-stream recycling.
In the meantime, please consider buying reusable bags, reusing your plastic bags, and then recycling the well-used plastic bags at drop off stations in the South Bend community. For a list of locations, please check the A-Z Directory.
How is uneaten food handled?
Uneaten food and food waste are a typical part of any community. Our campus partners have planning processes in place to reduce the preparation of excess food. However, this section will focus on two key pathways for diverting food from the landfill, after it is left uneaten.
Notre Dame partners with Cultivate Food Rescue to redirect uneaten food to help feed the most vulnerable in our community. Additionally, Notre Dame utilizes a system called Grind2Energy to capture wasted food in three locations on campus: North and South Dining Halls, as well as the Center for Culinary Excellence. While composting is a process where food waste is broken down in an oxygen-rich environment, Grind2Energy instead utilizes an anaerobic (or oxygen-free) digestion process to break down food. In this environment, the broken-down organic matter produces biogas, which is then used for energy. Learn more about both programs here.
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 7 here.
Week 6: Cardboard Recycling
So what’s the deal with cardboard recycling? For this week’s trivia topic, Building Services & Sustainability help provide some answers.
What is a gray cardboard cart?
By “gray cardboard cart,” we mean the large utility carts on campus that serve as the University’s primary means for collecting cardboard. An image on the right shows what a typical cardboard cart looks like. Most of the cardboard carts on campus have proper labeling, but not all. One of our projects this summer is to work towards clear, consistent labeling on every cart. This is a tougher task than it sounds—due to the unique surface material of the carts, stenciling is the best option available to us.
Why are cardboard carts important?
These cardboard carts are important for two reasons:
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Cardboard (also known as OCC in recycling lingo) takes up a lot of space, and can very quickly fill up a toter. This prevents space for other important materials like plastic and aluminum.
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Cardboard has a higher market value than our commingled single-stream recyclables. By separating cardboard from the rest of Notre Dame’s single-stream collection, the University is able to receive a higher value from our recycling service provider to help offset the expense of the overall program.
Is the pickup process for the gray carts the same as the toters?
No. Gray cardboard carts are picked up and serviced by the Recycling Team in the Building Services Department. They take the cardboard to a recycling compactor on campus at Mason Services Center, where it is then picked up by Recycling Works as a separate pickup process.
Our Recycling Team members are the unsung heroes of Notre Dame’s recycling collection efforts—next time you see a white Notre Dame truck with the words “Recycling” on it, be sure to say hello and thank them!
Can cardboard go in the recycling toter?
Cardboard is able to go in recycling toters. However, we also have many gray cardboard collection carts on campus. We consistently recommend putting cardboard in the gray carts first, as cardboard can quickly fill up our recycling toters, especially if the cardboard is not broken down first.
We also know that some buildings either don’t have access to a cardboard collection cart or that it is located at a far distance. In such cases, putting cardboard in the toters is okay. Still, break it down first, and if there is a large amount that will fill up the toter, please use the nearest gray cart.
My department always has a lot of cardboard, but it doesn’t have a cart. How can I order one?
Please submit a work order request. Building Services evaluates requests as they come in.
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 6 here.
Week 5: Outdated Built-In Waste Cabinets
What’s a built-in waste cabinet? Why can’t they be used for recycling? These are just some of the questions we will tackle on this week's recycling trivia topic.
What do you mean by built-in waste cabinet?
“Built-in” waste cabinets are commonly used to store waste and recycling bins. However, at Notre Dame, they are an outdated infrastructure from an earlier era when our service provider was able to accept bagged recyclables. These cabinets house smaller trash bins inside that are lined with plastic bags, and have slot openings at the top for people to throw in trash. Because many of these cabinets are physically connected to the building, removal or relocation of this infrastructure is a tricky process.
Why can’t we use these cabinets instead of toters?
We agree that it would be great–and much less confusing—if the old infrastructure in place could still be used! All of these recycling built-ins were designed for bagged collection, which our service provider can no longer accept. This necessitated the use of recycling toters, where materials are put in loose and unbagged.
Additionally, the decision to no longer use the recycling built-in units also rested on the following decision points:
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The old units were too small to accommodate putting even the smallest 35-gal recycling toters inside them.
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It was considered a potential injury risk, and operationally inefficient and messy, to have custodians throughout Notre Dame’s campus routinely lifting and then dumping large numbers of bagged recyclables into toters.
What will happen to these cabinets?
To prevent confusion, the University is currently considering alternative plans for these outdated waste cabinets. There is no current timetable for this process.
I have a waste built-in cabinet that still has outdated “recycling” language on it. How can I update the labeling?
If you think you have a built-in waste cabinet that needs updated labeling, please send a photo with location details to green@nd.edu. A Sustainability team member will review the details, and provide updated “Landfill” labels to cover up the old language.
Are there any other outdated bins or infrastructure on campus?
In addition to the old built-in waste cabinets, there is more outdated recycling infrastructure that can still be seen on campus. We will get to these in a future section!
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 5 here.
Week 4: Toter Talk
For this week’s trivia subject, Building Services & Sustainability will touch base on everything you've ever wanted to know about Notre Dame’s humble, hard-working recycling toters on campus.
What is a recycling toter?
Recycling toters are the main way Notre Dame collects single-stream recycling on campus. The toters you see on campus may look very similar to the recycling container at your home. Similar to many residential neighborhoods, Notre Dame has a curbside collection program.
What sizes do they come in?
They come in three different sizes: small (35-gallon); medium (64-gallon); and large (96-gallon). These different sizes give Notre Dame plenty of flexibility to mix and match containers depending on the unique needs of each building.
Why do we have them?
In a previous installment, we touched on this subject when discussing the reasons behind the recent recycling challenges on campus. In summary, a few years ago, our service provider stopped taking bagged recyclables. Unfortunately, all of Notre Dame’s old waste collection infrastructure relied on bagged collection.
As a result of this change away from bagged collection, Notre Dame switched to recycling toters for collection, where items are placed in “loose” (unbagged).
They don’t look that nice. Is there any plan to get nicer bins?
Building Services & Sustainability acknowledge that recycling toters may not be appropriate for all spaces. As a result, the Facilities Design and Operations team has taken the lead in identifying a more aesthetic option. An initial design of the new recycling cabinets option can be observed at DeBartolo Hall.
Won’t recycling toters get smelly?
They will if we don’t care for them properly! The most important defense for preventing stinky toters starts with everyone on campus. Toters could start smelling bad due to food and liquids spilling into the container. As a reminder, please empty all liquid from your beverage containers before putting them into the toter; and please, no food in the recycling toter.
That being said, we know mistakes may happen and toters may still experience odor issues. On a quarterly basis, Building Services schedules toters to be cleaned. The schedule is fall break, winter break, spring break, and the end of the spring semester in May. If a toter in your building is smelling particularly bad and cannot wait for this scheduled cleaning, please submit a work order.
Bonus discussion question for students.
Notre Dame staff members who support the day-to-day operations of our University are sometimes asked to make tough decisions when responding to challenges. The decisions may involve clear pros and cons to each potential choice available.
If you were in charge of ND Recycling a few years ago, and were confronted with the same problem that the University was (i.e., our recycling servicer could no longer accept bagged recycling), how might you have responded and why? Would you have responded similarly to the University and switched over to toters, or would you have made a different decision?
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 4 here.
Week 3: Single-Stream Recycling
How knowledgeable are you on what materials can and cannot go in a recycling toter? In this week’s recycling trivia, Building Services and Sustainability will test your expertise.
What materials can go into a recycling toter?
Your single-stream recyclables go in the toters. This includes items such as: aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper, and rigid plastic.
To view our one-stop shop for recycling guidance, please check out our Recycling A-Z Directory.
What materials cannot be accepted and why?
There are all types of materials that cannot go into a recycling toter. This is for all sorts of reasons—the material may not have value on the market, or the material may be hazardous, or it could contaminate the waste stream…you get the picture.
Some common items that cannot go in the recycling toter include:
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No plastic bags and film
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No food and drinks
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No styrofoam
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No batteries or electronics
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No lightbulbs
For the most up-to-date information on what can and cannot be recycled, please check out the A-Z Directory.
For recycling plastics, how important are the numbers on the container?
They are somewhat important to be aware of, although not essential. The number on a plastic container refers to the specific type of plastic that a material is made of. Our service provider can accept plastics #1-#7—although there are certain exceptions to this; for example, plastic bags and film can’t be taken because they jam up their machinery, styrofoam is often contaminated and not efficient to collect because it is so brittle and bulky, etc.
For simplicity’s sake–and because we don’t expect everyone to be a plastics expert—we specify to the ND community to only recycle “rigid” plastics. This includes common items such as plastic water bottles, milk containers, soda bottles, red solo cups, and many more items. When in doubt, please check the A-Z Directory.
How clean do materials have to be in order to go in the toter?
It is important that materials be relatively clean, as well as empty and dry before going in the toter. Recycling companies ask this in order to prevent cross-contamination with other recyclables in the stream. That being said, while you should try your best to clean an item, it doesn’t need to be absolutely perfect. Please use your best judgment.
Paper towels and napkins are made out of paper. Can they be recycled?
No. Paper towels and napkins are typically contaminated with food and grease. Additionally, most paper towels and napkins are made out of paper that has already been recycled many times. This causes the fibers to be very short, and therefore, unrecyclable.
What’s the deal with cardboard? Can it go in the recycling toter or not?
To get the answer to this question, you’ll have to stay tuned for a future installment (or look closely at our website - the answer is already there)!
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 3 here.
Week 2: Program Challenges
Over the past year, Building Services and Sustainability held recycling feedback sessions with staff, students, and faculty. The feedback we received in these sessions was honest and direct: the ND recycling program has had challenges.
Why are there challenges with recycling at Notre Dame?
We can all agree challenges have existed with recycling at Notre Dame over the past few years. How did we get to where we are today?
A few years ago, our service provider stopped accepting bagged recyclables. This was an issue because Notre Dame’s entire waste collection infrastructure revolved around a bagged collection model. As a result, the University pivoted to a curbside system with recycling toters, where materials are put in unbagged.
Unfortunately, this transition occurred during the pandemic. During this hectic time, when staff were asked to prioritize other important areas, outdated recycling infrastructure was not updated and the new program was not communicated as robustly as it normally would have been.
Most of our Building Services & Sustainability collaborative team are new to oversight of the recycling program, and we are working hard to make improvements.
How are Building Services & Sustainability working together to improve the program?
Our departments are collaborating on a recycling expansion pilot program that targets a small number of buildings on campus, with the goal of expanding recycling opportunities in those buildings while using waste best practices. As part of the process, we are working directly with stakeholders in each building to jointly identify solutions for improving recycling in their spaces; and then communicating those changes to the building occupants.
What buildings have taken part in the expansion efforts?
A complete list of the buildings taking part in the pilot can be found here. We prioritized student-facing spaces first (residence halls and select academic spaces). Select office spaces are following this spring.
Our building has a toter. Does that mean we are part of the expansion program?
Not necessarily. Many building occupants opted to adopt toters before the expansion pilot started in Fall 2023. However, up until then, there was no systematic method for making decisions on where to place toters. With our expansion pilot, not only are we adding toters to buildings—but we are also seeking to do so while following principles of waste best practices. Active ingredients include making shared recycling decisions with the people in the building themselves and actively communicating those decisions.
This systematic process takes a lot of time and effort, which is why we are going building-by-building to make these changes. There are many buildings on campus with recycling toters that are not part of the expansion pilot yet. They are still recycling, they just have not been engaged in this in-depth systematic effort. We call these locations “legacy” buildings.
My building is not on the list. Can it be?
Eventually! Our initial goal this spring semester is to work on a select number of office spaces as part of the expansion. Because it is a pilot program, we understand that mistakes will be made and improvements needed. After we learn from the process this spring, we hope to expand to the rest of campus.
What has been the impact?
As part of the expansion pilot, we have added more than 170 recycling toters (and counting!) in pilot buildings on campus. For context, there are more than 430 toters on campus total, which means we have increased the percentage of locations with recycling by over 65%.
In terms of our impact on collection, we have increased our single stream recycling collection to approximately 4,000 pounds per week. This is akin to the carbon sequestration impact that nearly seven acres of forest have over one year—from just a week’s worth of our recycling. Perhaps most importantly, we have had zero recycling loads rejected by our recycling servicer. Congratulations, Irish!
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 2 here.
Week 1: Recycling 101
Who is in charge of recycling on campus?
Recycling is a collaboration between Building Services, Sustainability, and the entire Notre Dame community. How do we work together? Building Services handles the operational details—such as taking your toter to the curb for pickup, and managing Notre Dame’s relationship with our recycling service provider, Recycling Works. Sustainability helps with outreach and communication to the campus. Students, faculty, and staff play the most important role—it is up to each of us to put our discarded materials in the correct landfill or recycling container.
How does the process work?
Recycling at Notre Dame works just like a curbside program at home. All recyclables must be placed “loose,” or unbagged, in recycling toters. Once a week, Building Services custodial staff rolls those toters to the curb for pickup. Our service provider, Recycling Works, picks the toters up at the curb every Wednesday morning. Recyclables get sorted at the Recycling Works Material Recovery Facility (or “MRF”) in Elkhart, IN. For a virtual tour of the Recycling Works MRF, check out the video below.
What can be recycled on campus?
Our everyday recycling program is a single-stream service, which means it can accept a variety of materials in one container. Just like your recycling program at home, our service provider can accept typical items such as: aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper, and rigid plastic. Specialty recycling (like electronics and batteries) requires a different process. For the most up-to-date information about what can be recycled on campus, please visit our A-to-Z Recycling Directory.
Ready to test your knowledge? Take the quiz for week 1 here.