Recycling Program

Deposit the following in Mixed Recycling bins:

• all forms of un-broken glass
• all metal, such as tin and aluminum cans and foil
  • Spray paint cans can be put into mixed recycling only if they are completely empty. 
• Plastic - Plastic Bottles (grades 1-5) and shrink wrap are currently only being accepted.
  • Within the plastic category, our recycling partner, Southern Recycling, is only accepting plastic BOTTLES grades 1-5.
  • Shrink wrap can go into mixed recycling containers. If there is a location with an extensive quantity of one of these, our recycling partner would prefer that these are segregated into their own bag.
• No Styrofoam is accepted.

NOTE: In the past, SIU did not have "Mixed Recycling." Instead, recycling streams were divided and bins were designated with more specific labels. Any bin with these outdated labels such as: tin, metal, aluminum, plastic, cans, bottles can also receive anything on our “Mixed Recycling” list.

Bin labels can be updated using the printable resources on this page. Larger facilities may want to develop their own signage or labels using the designs from this page. Please see image from Touch of Nature below, as an example. If you have questions about this, please reach out to sustainability@siu.edu.

Note that paper recycling has a separate bin and should not be added to “Mixed Recycling.”

SIU paper recycling containers collect all types of paper recycling, including:

• white paper
• colored paper
• newspaper
• glossy paper, such as magazines
• phone books
• thin cardboard, such as cereal boxes

In summary, mixed paper bins accept any paper EXCEPT thin cardboard with wax (i.e. fruit and vegetable boxes).

All paper should be clean paper. If paper has been contaminated with liquid or grease, it cannot be recycled and should be put into a landfill (trash) bin.

Some locations on campus collect only shredded paper or only white paper. Shredded paper and white paper should be bagged and have NO more than 2-3% of any other paper.

Corrugated Cardboard can be recycled within buildings by:

• breaking down the boxes till they are flat
• labeling them with a note or marker with the word "recycle"
• placing the flattened boxes next to the paper recycling

We can even recycle pizza boxes! Please remove all inserts and food. It is okay if there's some grease in the boxes. Our recycling partner does not accept the new, circular compostable pizza boxes.

The Sustainability Office manages a recycling process for all used/empty and a sharing process for FULL/UNUSED ink and toner cartridges.

Ink and Toner Program page

It is mandated by the State of Illinois that electronic waste (e-waste) must be diverted from being sent to the landfill.

All electronic waste, except for ink/toner cartridges (process described above), should be sent to Surplus Property.

The SIU Dental Hygiene Clinic is collecting dental materials for recycling for a program through Colgate. Bring materials to their office on the ground floor of the College of Applied Sciences and put them in the boxes by reception. Recyclable materials include:

• toothbrushes
• toothpaste tubes and caps
• toothbrush and toothpaste packaging
• floss containers

Did you know? 

• SIU composts food waste from University Housing dining halls.
• Someday, we hope to collect food waste more widely on campus. The food waste is taken to SIU’s Forced Aeration Compost Facility, where it is mixed with landscaping and farm waste and turned into compost.

Other Resources

-PSO Building Services and Grounds training document