Recycling

Student disposing of trash options at One World Café featured labeled bins “Recycle,” “Organics” and “Trash”.

UB Campus Living collected nearly 10 tons of goods donated by UB students as part of clothing drives under the direction of Ken Kern (shown here outside Clement Hall).

At UB, we encourage you to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible. You’ll find many ways to recycle paper, plastic, metal and more in your residence hall or apartment complex.

On this page:

What Can Be Recycled?

It’s easy to recycle at UB with our “All-In-One” recycling program, which means you do not have to sort recyclables by type. Simply mix the following recyclable items into the same recycling bin: 

  • Paper
  • Cardboard
  • Books
  • Magazines
  • Plastic bottles and containers (numbers 1 and 2 only; no STYROFOAM)
  • Metal cans and food containers
  • Glass bottles and jars

Recycling Tips

  • Wipe out and rinse all food containers such as glass jars, plastic containers and aluminum cans
  • Empty out any liquids in the sink before recycling 
  • Flatten down cardboard boxes/packaging and stack up or fit inside each other

Batteries

All batteries, old cell phones and similar small products with rechargeable batteries can be brought to your residence hall office or apartment office for recycling or proper disposal.

Recycling Bin Locations

Recycling bins and facilities are located in every residence hall and apartment complex. You’ll usually find them in kitchens, lounges and other common areas. If you need help locating a recycling bin, please ask your residence hall director or complex director. 

Do Not Recycle:

Candy wrappers
Dirty tin foil (quickly rinse off tin foil and recycle it)
Milk cartons
Paper cups (including soda cups from campus food areas)
Plastic bags (you can recycle these at your local grocery store)
Plastic bottles and containers (numbers 3 to 7)
Tissues
Wax paper

Do Your Part

As a state institution, UB is mandated to recycle at least 50% of its waste. To reach this goal, all residents must participate in the recycling program. We appreciate your support in helping us achieve—and exceed—this goal.

Questions & Concerns

If you have questions or suggestions about the recycling program—or if your residence hall or apartment needs more recycling bins—please contact:

Ken Kern
716-645-5604
khkern@buffalo.edu