Welcome New Students!

Recycling and composting are what we do here! Here's what you can do to join in.

What to bring to campus:

• Refillable travel mug to use on campus. You will get a discount on all beverages when you use your own mug.
  
  
• Reusable water bottle. Save money by not buying bottled water, and help eliminate plastic waste.
  
  
• A water pitcher with a filter, to keep drinking water handy in your room and avoid another trip down the hall.
  
  
• A durable plate, bowl & set of utensils to keep in your room. Avoid using disposable utensils and dishes - check out our "Spork" and "Eco-Ware" programs.
  
  
• Energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's) - the ones that look like spirals.

Tips for "zero-waste" packing

• Minimize packaging waste. Pack your belongings in reusable crates or storage boxes, and try to avoid overly packaged items.
  
  
• Talk with your roommate ahead of time about sharing a fridge, microwave or similar appliances

Forgot something?

Check out these local stores for reused and recycled bargains.

• ReSource ReSTORE (266 Pine Street, Burlington downtown)
• Goodwill (1080 Shelburne Rd, South Burlington)
• Salvation Army Thrift Shop (336 No Winooski Ave, Burlington Old North End)

Once you arrive, recycling is easy

On Move-In Day, we will help you recycle your cardboard boxes.
After that, it is up to you!

Your residence hall room comes with a small recycle bin. Use it for collecting paper, bottles, cans and other recyclable materials. You're responsible for bringing these materials - and your regular trash - to the central collection area of your hall. You can also recycle flat cardboard boxes and pizza boxes.

To find out what happens to the items you recycle, click here.

Curious about what to recycle?

Click here to check with our recycling guide about how to recycle different types of waste.

You can recycle the following items in your recycle bin:

• Office paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail
• Plastic bottles, jugs & tubs
• Metal cans, glass bottles & jars
• Boxes from cardboard, cereal, & pizza

Composting: Feeding the Soil that Feeds You

Composting is a process that turns organic waste, such as food leftovers and leaf & yard waste, into a nutrient-rich soil called compost. Compost is used by local farms, landscapers and gardeners to improve soil for growing crops and reducing erosion.

Each year, UVM sends over 160 tons of food wastes collected from all dining areas on campus to a local composting facility. Some dining areas use compostable paper packaging as well. Please follow the specific guidelines at each location.

You can also save food waste from your own residence hall room and bring it to collection pails located in your residence hall. Check with the student Eco-Rep in your hall for details.

For more information on what to compost, click here.

Why Recycle and Compost?

• Recycling conserves natural resources such as oil, minerals and trees.
• It takes less energy to make new products from recycled materials than from resources taken out of the earth.
• Recycling keeps valuable commodities like paper and metal out of a landfill, and this helps reduce costs for the University.
• Composting keeps organic nutrients out of a landfill, and creates a valuable product for our soil.

Other Stuff to Know: "Techno Trash"

Some items should not go in the regular trash because they can be harmful to people and the environment. Bring these to the "Techno-Trash" collection box located in your residence hall. Items will be recycled or disposed of safely.

• Household batteries
• Ink Jet Cartridges
• Electronic gadgets, cell phones
• Storage media: CD's, DVD's
• Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFL's) aka "Spiral Bulbs"

Last modified May 22 2012 01:39 PM