Recycling Program
Drexel University recycles more than 30 percent of its waste stream – over 900 tons – annually. Drexel practices single-stream recycling, which eliminates the need to divide recyclable materials into separate bins. All the collected recyclable material is picked up by our recycling vendor and sent to a local sorting center. The single-stream process takes the guesswork out of where to put various types of recyclables and allows the University to capture more recycling from the waste stream, reducing the amount of waste sent to a landfill.
Place any clean recyclable material into any available recycling container, where Facilities personnel will remove it. Items must be clean and contain no food or liquid waste; for example, a plastic lunch container with leftover food inside or a half-empty soda bottle are not recyclable because they are not clean.
Bulk cardboard is also picked up from each building throughout the week. Any type of cardboard is acceptable, as long as it does not contain food waste. Old books, boxes of paper, old files, and other miscellaneous paper-based items may be left out for Facilities personnel to pick up.
Please do not place sensitive material out for pick-up – this material should be shredded and properly disposed. Drexel University's Records Management Policy outlines proper destruction methods. Do not place plastic bags, film or wrap in Drexel recycling bins. You can find drop-off locations for this type of plastic at many grocery stores.
Materials We Recycle
Single-Stream Recycling lets you use one container for all your basic recyclables. You do not have to separate bottles from cans from paper – these materials can go into one recycle bin to be sorted later by Drexel's recycling vendor. Drexel also recycles larger and heavy cardboard separately. In academic and administrative buildings, place empty cardboard boxes outside offices near hallway collection bins; in residence halls, place empty boxes at designated floor trash locations.
Items that are soiled or filled with foods or liquids cannot be recycled. Empty and do a quick rinse of bottles and containers before recycling to avoid contaminating the entire bin.
Below is a list of items that can and cannot be recycled on campus (Drexel-operated classrooms, offices, common spaces, residence halls, etc.). Additionally, certain specialty items may require a few extra steps to recycle properly.
Make sure all paper placed for recycling is dry with no food residue. Paper with sensitive/secure information must be shredded.
- newspapers, magazines, junk mail, brochures, pamphlets
- paper: computer, notebook, shredded, glossy (any color)
- cardboard boxes and paper bags (all sizes; remove all packaging)
- milk or juice cartons or boxes
- posters and posterboard
- empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls
- empty tissue boxes
- soft cover books
Rinse all food residue and empty all liquids. Remove caps and lids where possible. Do not recycle plastic bags or film; these can be recycled at many grocery stores.
- water / soda / juice bottles and milk jugs
- plastic yogurt cups
- soup and food containers (no styrofoam)
- liquid detergent bottles
- empty shampoo and soap bottles
- all plastic bottles and containers with label #1-7 (#6 if hard plastic only)
Rinse all food residue and empty all liquids. Remove caps and lids when possible.
- clear, brown, green glass food and beverage containers
- aluminum and steel cans
- food and soda cans
- empty aerosol cans
- #6 soft plastic
- batteries (see specialty items below)
- broken glass
- candy and chip wrappers
- drinking glasses
- electronics (see specialty items below)
- food or beverage waste
- food-soiled materials
- light bulbs (see specialty items below)
- napkins, paper towels, tissues
- needles (contact with hypodermic needles can cause injury)
- non-paper packing material
- paper coffee cups and lids
- plastic utensils
- plastic toys or sporting goods
- rubber bands
- scrap metal
- solvents, oil and/or chemical containers
- stickers and labels
- Styrofoam
- Tupperware
- waxy or wet cardboard/paper
- windows, mirrors, ceramics
Light bulbs, light ballasts, light tubes, computers, tires, motor oil, batteries, industrial sized batteries, furniture and electronic equipment, waste toner and ink cartridges can be recycled, but please do not toss them into your classroom/office recycle bin. For details on how to recycle these items, consult the Drexel Recycling Guidelines [PDF]. Pick-up may require submitting a work request.
Batteries
Please deposit your batteries in designated battery recycling bins on campus.
Cooking Oils
Cooking waste oil is collected from select dining establishments to be converted into bio-fuel: Northside Market (34th and Race Streets), Handschumacher Dining Center (32nd and Chestnut Streets) and the Queen Lane Campus (2900 Queen Lane).
The following materials are provided by Republic Services:
Recycling Locations
Recycling containers can be found throughout Drexel's campuses in building lobbies, hallways, offices and classrooms, as well as outdoor spaces such as Perelman Plaza.
- Residence Halls: Located in the Refuse Room on each floor are paper and co-mingled recycling stations.
- 34th Street Housing: Each property has a single-stream recycle bin located in the rear of the property.
- Battery Recycling Bins: Battery recycling bins are available in the following locations:
- Creese Student Center lobby
- MacAlister Hall, 1st floor
- Ross Commons, 2nd floor
- Caneris Hall
- Kelly Hall
- Millennium Hall
- North Hall
- Race Street Residences
- Towers Hall
- Van Rensselaer Hall