Recycling Frequently Asked Questions

What materials can I recycle?

You may recycle: plastic bottles and cups with the #1 and #2 symbols on the bottom; grocery bags; glass bottles and jars; aluminum cans; tin cans; mixed papers, newspapers and most magazines; corrugated cardboard; printer cartridges; and batteries.

Where can I place my recyclables?

Individual offices on our campuses and regional campuses are outfitted with single, blue recycling containers for desk-side use. For copy areas, conference rooms and break rooms, there may be a tall single container with a slotted lid.

There are larger "Glutton" containers located throughout our campuses and regional campuses in central and/or common areas. These containers are in most buildings and will accept - mixed paper, bottles and cans. You are responsible for placing the recyclable material in the correct opening. These openings are labeled. We also have large (96 gallon) blue recycling bins with wheels in most of our buildings. These bins also collect mixed paper and cardboard.

In our Residence Halls that are equipped with "trash rooms" there are larger bins that accept mixed paper, bottles and cans. All cardboard can be broken down and placed in the trash rooms as well. See your Resident Assistant for more information.

What do I do with my shredded paper?

You may put small quantities of loose shredding into the mixed paper recycling bins. For larger amounts, please contain the shredding in a plastic bag. Fill the bag and place next to one of the large 96-gallon blue recycle bins on wheels in your building.

How do I recycle my printer/toner cartridges?

You can now recycle your printer and toner cartridges in one container. Cardboard boxes, with lid and label, are located in each building.

How often are the recyclables collected?

Our Shark Recyclers are busy each day, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They travel to each building and swap out the large 96-gallon mixed paper bins, pick up all cardboard and pick up all bottles and cans that are generated at our campuses and regional campuses.

Janitorial service workers collect each desk-side mixed paper, cardboard, and bottles and cans from all areas and in all buildings daily. These items are then placed in the large 96-gallon bins at each building and slated for pick-up by our Shark Recyclers each day.

All Recycle material is then transported to NSU's main campus Central Services building where we have a dedicated 40-yard compactor for mixed paper and cardboard, and a dedicated 30-yard enclosed container for our bottles and cans. Our hauler is "All Service Corporation", which hauls the material to a recycling plant for final processing.

What can't I recycle?

Yogurt cups, Styrofoam and paper cups are just a few of the more common non-recyclables.

Is it profitable for NSU to recycle?

NSU has negotiated a very competitive rebate for our materials with our hauler. All proceeds go right back into funding our recycling efforts and to promote our programs. By recycling we are saving our landfill space and being good stewards towards the environment. Our goal is for our recycling program to grow so that one day we can say, "We generate zero waste at NSU".