• What kinds of paper can go in my deskside bin?
• What do I do with cardboard that doesn’t fit in my deskside bin?
• I’m cleaning out my office and have boxes of files and paper to get rid of. How do I recycle them?
• What do I do with shredded paper?
• Our department needs to get rid of boxes of “sensitive” documents. How do we make sure these documents are “destroyed?”
• My deskside or Copy Room paper recycling bin hasn’t been emptied. What do I do?
• How do I recycle my used toner cartridges?
• How do I recycle at my home, apartment, residence hall or co-op?
• We are planning an event on campus. How do we set up recycling for it?
• Our office drinks a lot of sodas and juice. How do we recycle our bottles and cans?
• Can aluminum foil go in my beverage container recycling bin?
• Can I recycle my batteries on campus?
• I just got a new computer at my desk. What do I do with the old one?
• If I can’t recycle specific materials on campus, where can I go to recycle it?

Q&A

What kinds of paper can go in my deskside bin?

White paper, color paper, regular envelopes, window envelopes, soft & hardbound books, computer paper, glossy paper, junkmail, magazines, brochures, newspaper, catalogs, files, post-its, copy paper wrap, bound or spiral notebooks, phonebooks, carbonless forms (NCR), and flattened cardboard boxes. Staples, paper clips and other fasteners are ok! 

PLEASE NO: Food-contaminated paper, non-paper waste, paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, paper cups, or bottles and cans.

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What do I do with cardboard that doesn’t fit in my deskside bin?

Small amounts of cardboard should be flattened and placed next to the deskside recycling bin for custodial pick-up. It can also be brought out to your building’s larger outdoor paper recycling bin. Click here for outdoor bin locations.

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I’m cleaning out my office and have boxes of files and paper to get rid of. How do I recycle them?

You have a couple of different options depending on how much material you have.

• You can meter it into your deskside blue bin over time and it will be collected by the custodians. Please do not overfill the bin.

• You can bring it to the larger outdoor recycling bin for your building. Click here for outdoor bin locations. 

• You can request a special clean-out recycling bin with wheels. Upon receipt of a completed “Special Clean-Out Recycling Bin Request Form,” CRRS will deliver a blue “toter” with wheels to the loading dock or service area of your building within a few days. You may wheel it to your office and wheel it back when the bin is full. CRRS does not deliver or pick-up from inside buildings. Once you return the bin to the loading dock or service area, it will be emptied on the building’s regular paper recycling pick-up day. You may use the bin multiple times, but you need to contact CRRS when you are completely done with the bin. Please note that you are responsible for the bin while it is in your possession ($85 value).  

What do I do with shredded paper?

Shredded paper can be left in a plastic bag and put into your paper recycling bin or taken to the larger outdoor bin. This is the only situation in which plastic bags in the paper recycling bin are acceptable.

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Our department needs to get rid of boxes of “sensitive” documents. How do we make sure these documents are “destroyed?”

Call CRRS to arrange a time to meet the recycling driver so that you can see the boxes put into the packer truck. Collected paper is combined with the full day’s route and taken directly to a recycling center. Call CRRS for a full explanation of security issues.

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My deskside or Copy Room paper recycling bin hasn’t been emptied. What do I do?

The custodians empty the deskside and Copy Room paper recycling bins when they empty the garbage in your area, usually on a weekly basis. Contact CRRS to let us know the exact location of the bin and approximately how long the bin has not been emptied and we will contact the custodial supervisor for your building.

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How do I recycle my used toner cartridges?

Copiers/Fax Machines/Laser Printers:  Place the Campus Recycling & Refuse Services (CRRS)-provided mailing label on your boxed, used toner cartridge. Multiple cartridges can be mailed at once as long as they are in a labeled box. The original toner cartridge box or another box is OK. Remanufactured toner cartridges are not accepted. Give the box(es) to UPS for mailing.

Ink Jet Printers:  Place individual used ink jet toner cartridges in CRRS-provided ink jet pouches. Put the pouch in the regular U.S. mail.

If you have more than 10 used toner cartridges, there are other options. Contact CRRS for mailing labels or ink jet pouches.

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How do I recycle at my home, apartment, residence hall or coop?

• If you live in one of the campus residence halls, click here for more information

• If you live in a USCA co-op, all of the co-op recycling activities are coordinated through a Waste Reduction Coordinator and a Reuse Coordinator, as well as each co-op having its own recycling manager. The 2002-2003 Co-op Waste Reduction Coordinator is Lora Hall and she can be reached at recycle@usca.org. The 2002-2003 Co-op Reuse Coordinator is Sigal Shoham and she can be reached at sigal@usca.org.

• If you live in a house or apartment building with 9 units or below in the City of Berkeley, find out more information from the Ecology Center at 527-5555 or http://www.ecologycenter.org/recycle/recycle.html

• If you live in an apartment building with 10 units or more, find out more information from the City of Berkeley Solid Waste Management Division at 981-6350 or http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/pw/swm.html

• If you live elsewhere in Alameda County, call the Alameda County Waste Management Authority at 1-877-Stopwaste or http://www.stopwaste.org

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We are planning an event on campus. How do we set up recycling for it?

Click here for the special events recycling outline

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Our office drinks a lot of sodas and juice. How do we recycle our bottles and cans?

If you do not currently have a beverage container recycling receptacle, but would like to request placement of one, please note the following guidelines:

• Your location needs to generate at least 45 gallons per month of beverage containers to place a container there. For reference, you blue, deskside mixed paper recycling bin holds 8 gallons.

• We only place bins in locations that can be reached without key access during normal working hours.

• There needs to be a wall or other space for permanent signage explaining what goes in the bin.

• We need a contact person (including phone number) who will take responsibility for contacting CRRS when the bin needs to be picked up, and whom we can contact if there are any contamination or other issues.

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Can aluminum foil go in my beverage container recycling bin?

No, only aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles #1 and #2.

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Can I recycle my batteries on campus?

UC Berkeley disposes or recycles batteries that were used only on campus from things such as pagers, calculators, cell-phones, etc. not household batteries. Most batteries that are no longer wanted have to be managed as “universal waste.” These batteries include those containing mercury, ni-cad, lithium, silver, and most alkaline and carbon-zinc. “Universal waste” regulations require that you label the impermeable collection container-“Universal Waste—Batteries,” collect them for less than one year, and regularly checked to verify that they are not leaking. After collecting for about one year, segregate them by type and complete an Environment, Health, & Safety Material Packing List (MPL) requesting a pick-up. If the batteries are determined to be non-hazardous, i.e. some alkaline and carbon-zinc batteries, they will be recycled at no charge. Other batteries are recycled for a recharge amount. To get MPLs or for more details, call EH&S at 642-3073. For batteries used at home, you can call your local household hazardous waste facility. Alameda County residents can call 1-800-606-6606 or check out http://www.stopwaste.org

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I just got a new computer at my desk. What do I do with the old one?

Contact Excess, Surplus, & Salvage at 642-1186, fax: 642-5936, or by campus mail, 6701 San Pablo Ave., Mail Code: #5604 to have your computer deinventoried and to arrange for a pick-up. More information is also available on their website,

http://www-propmgmt.matl.berkeley.edu/excess/intro.htm

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If I can’t recycle specific materials on campus, where can I go to recycle it?

The Alameda County Waste Management Authority & Source Reduction and Recycling Board is a wonderful source of information at http://www.stopwaste.org or toll-free at 1-877-STOPWASTE.

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