Recycling

Recycling is one of the easiest, most tangible ways of taking action for the planet. Recycling saves energy and water, lowers pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, preserves landfill space and conserves natural resources. We hope that the Stonehill community joins in our efforts to recycle, and if possible, reduce the use of materials in the first place.

Single-Stream Recycling

Stonehill has made it easy to recycle. Beginning in 2013, Stonehill College adopted single-stream recycling. Single-stream recycling is a system in which all recyclable materials — fiber (newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, catalogs, magazines and junk mail) and containers (glass, steel, aluminum and plastic) — are placed, unsorted, in one recycling bin. It is run by Waste Management.

Help us promote single stream recycling on campus by educating your peers with this flyer and placing them on or around recycling bins on campus.

Where are recycling bins located?

Recycling bins are located in all offices on Campus as well each residence hall. Facilities Management empties these bins on a weekly schedule, and their contents are place in a large container behind Roche Dining Commons. These containers are emptied regularly by Waste Management who then transports this material to central distribution center and issues the College a report.

Missing Bins

If a recycling bin is missing, please file a work order.

Recycling Guidelines

The following can be placed in any blue recycling container:

Paper/Cardboard

Note: clips, staples, rubber bands and wire spirals do not need to be removed.

  • Mixed office paper (any color)
  • Envelopes
  • Newspapers
  • Junk mail
  • Greeting cards
  • Magazines
  • Box board (cereal boxes, etc.)
  • Books and notebooks
  • Corrugated cardboard
  • Brown and manila folders
  • Posters
  • Spiral notebooks
  • Milk cartons
  • Juice cartons

Glass

Note: all glass must be drained and unbroken.

  • Clear bottles
  • Green bottles
  • Brown bottles

Plastics

Note: all plastics must be well drained and rinsed if possible.

  • PET plastic containers (soda bottles)
  • HDPE (milk jugs, laundry detergent)
  • PVC plastic containers (shampoo bottles)
  • LDPE plastic containers (margarine tubs)
  • PP plastic containers (yogurt cups)
  • Clamshell containers (found in Roche Dining Commons and The Hill)

Metals

Note: all metal containers must be emptied and rinsed.

  • Aluminum cans
  • Steel food and soup cans
  • Aluminum foil and trays

The following CANNOT be placed in blue recycling containers:

General Trash

  • Carbon paper
  • Restroom debris and paper towels
  • Any type of food product
  • Foam cups or plates
  • Chemicals
  • Plastic bags or wraps
  • 3 ring binders
  • Wax paper
  • Napkins
  • Candy wrappers
  • CDs or floppy disks

Universal Waste

Note: please contact Facilities Management at 508-565-1361 for pickup of these items

  • Light bulbs
  • Electronics
  • Monitors
  • Toner cartridges

How to Prevent Contamination

One challenging aspect to maximize recycling is to keep materials from getting contaminated. For example, all recycling materials are allowed in the single containers because they are separated at the collection center. However, if a can of soda is not completely empty and it contaminates the paper in the bin, then the entire load is rejected by the recycling firm. This can easily be avoided by rinsing containers or making sure they are completely empty.

How to Reduce Your Consumption

Reduction of material used is easy. For example:

  • Use tap or filtered water before opting for a water bottle
  • Purchase products with minimal or no packaging
  • Use a coffee mug instead of paper cups
  • Do not print documents to read them when they are available on your computer screen
  • Print double-sided when possible

For You