Skip to Main Content

The University of Tennessee

Facilities Services

Frequently Used Tools:




UT RECYCLES, UT CARES

What can you recycle?

Paper, Plastic, and Aluminum
Cardboard
Special Materials
Confidential Material Recycling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paper, Plastic, and Aluminum

We collect two major categories of materials from campus buildings: 1- Paper; 2- Aluminum Cans and Plastic. Aluminum cans and plastic are collected together everywhere on campus, regardless of what the label on the bin may indicate (such as “aluminum cans only”). There is no need to separate aluminum from plastic on campus. See the chart below for more details on what TO and what NOT to recycle.

 

Do Recycle

Do NOT Recycle

Where to Recycle

Paper

 

 

 

Any clean paper. Examples: printer paper (staples OK), junk mail (windows OK), newspaper, books, phone books, magazines, cereal/shoe boxes, index cards

Food wrappers, paper towels, paper plates, paper cups, napkins, waxy cardboard or paper (take-out containers and ice cream containers)

 

Any “Paper Only” or “All paper” recycling bin

(Note: You do NOT need to keep hardback books separate from other paper now- put them with any other paper for recycling)
 

Do Recycle

Do NOT Recycle

Where to Recycle

Plastic

 

Any clean plastic labeled with a #1-7 (except Styrofoam). Examples: plastic bottles, cups, bags, containers (please put multiple bags stuffed in together - individual bags cause problems)

STYROFOAM, plastic wrap, dirty food containers, packing peanuts

 

 

 

Any recycling bin labeled “Aluminum cans and plastic bottles” or “Aluminum cans only”

(Note: We mix aluminum and plastic together everywhere on campus, regardless of what the label reads)

 
 

Do Recycle

Do NOT Recycle

Where to Recycle

Aluminum Cans

Aluminum cans

Pie pans, aluminum foil

Any recycling bin labeled “Aluminum cans and plastic bottles” or “Aluminum cans only”

 


Do and Do Not Recycle Flyer (This flier is specifically geared to offices on campus. Feel free to click on the link at left, print it out, and hang it up as a reference for proper recycling on campus).

 

Back to Top

Cardboard

Cardboard is picked up Monday-Friday evenings from building loading docks and dumpster areas.  For a complete list of the locations where cardboard is picked up each night, click here. Cardboard for recycling should be flattened and placed in hallways or at the outdoor pickup location at the end of the day.  Cardboard with food residue, such as pizza boxes, cannot be recycled. Very waxy cardboard cannot be recycled either.

Appropriately flattened cardboard for pick up New cardboard recycling wooden box like
those found at several buildings on campus

Don’t forget: Please flatten cardboard and remove all packing material such as Styrofoam, paper, and packing peanuts

 

Back to Top

Special Materials

A number of "special materials" can be recycled on campus.

Material

Disposal Location

 
    Phonebooks, campus directories,
 AND Hardback Books

Any paper recycling bin – these used to be collected separately, now they are all collected with all other paper on campus in any paper recycling bin, including desk-side bins.

 


Toner/ink cartridges

Try to recycle them yourself through the company from whom you purchased them. You’ll often get money back; it also reduces the recycling personnel workload and fuel consumption. You can contact the recycler, Cash4Cartridges directly by phone at (865) 556-7461 or email LC@Cash4CartridgesTN.com. Please accumulate at least 10 cartridges before contacting them. Additional information on recycling options can be found here under "Printer/Toner Cartridge Recycling Options."

Otherwise, contact 4-3480 or email recycle@utk.edu. Please accumulate multiple cartridges before contacting us. 

 

   

Batteries

 

 For information on which types of batteries are recyclable, click here.

Small rechargeable batteries are recycled through RBRC

Battery recycling buckets are available for departmental and office use.  To obtain a battery recycling bucket, to have it emptied, or to recycle individual batteries contact 4-3480 or email recycle@utk.edu. Please try to accumulate multiple batteries and take them to one of the areas listed below. Also, the maintenance personnel in each building on campus have buckets for recycling batteries. You can give your batteries to them for recycling as well.

Main Campus Battery Bucket Locations:

ˇ        University Center Computer Store

ˇ        Walter’s Life, near 4th fl. Elevator in F corridor

ˇ        SERF, 6th floor near 3-section recycling bin and elevator

ˇ        Nielsen Physics Room 204

ˇ        Forest Products Center

ˇ        Neyland Biology Annex, room 128

ˇ        Andy Holt Tower, room 201

ˇ        Buehler, room 215

ˇ        Kingston Pike Building, near loading dock

ˇ        Building Services, room 206e

ˇ        South Stadium Hall, room 250

Ag Campus Battery Bucket Locations:

ˇ        The lobby area outside classroom 166 in the Biosystems Engineering Lab Building

ˇ        Room B206, Hospital Operations in the College of Veterinary Medicine

ˇ        The hallway outside Mabel’s Café in McCord Hall

 Residence Hall Locations:

ˇ        The lobby of each residence hall

ˇ        Sutherland Village mail room

  

   "Techno Trash" 

Includes: diskettes, CD’s, DVD’s, cell phones, PDAs, pagers, digital cameras, handheld games, CD players, and MP3 players

 

University Center Computer Store and Presidential Court computer lab

These are recycled with other electronics. Please accumulate at least a box full of this material then call 4-3480 or email recycle@utk.edu

    Other Materials

 

Contact 4-3480 or email recycle@utk.edu

 

Back to Top

Battery Recycling

Battery Type

Common Name

Sizes

Types of Use

Recycling

Alkaline

Alkaline

AA, AAA, C, D, 6V, 9V

Clocks, pagers, electronic devices

On campus in a battery recycling bucket

Re-chargeable

Nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-M-H), Lithium Ion (L-ion), and small lead acid

AAA, AA, C, D, 2V, 6V, 9V, 12V, and other sizes

Laptops, cell phones, handheld power tools, digital cameras, cordless telephones

On campus in a battery recycling bucket

Button

Mercuric oxide, silver oxide, lithium, alkaline

Various sizes

Watches, cameras, small electronic devices

On campus in a battery recycling bucket

Lithium

Lithium

3V, 6V, and other sizes

Cameras, calculators

On campus in a battery recycling bucket

Lead and Lead-Acid

Lead-Acid, UPS

12V, 6V

Vehicles, machinery

Contact 974-3480 or email recycle@utk.edu

For locations of battery buckets and for additional information, please click here and search for “Batteries” on the chart.

 

Back to Top


For more information on The University of Tennessee
 recycling program please contact:

Jay Price, Environmental Coordinator
974-3480
recycle@utk.edu