Paper recycling at the University is maintained by the Physical Plant Department. Several times each week, custodial staff empty the grey recycling bins from computer labs, libraries, individual offices, and public areas. Twice a week (Tuesdays/Thursdays), Physical Plant grounds crew collects the paper using the university garbage and recycling truck to transport the material to Cascades Recovery in Winnipeg.
Cascades Recovery sorts and bales the paper into three categories - newsprint, cardboard and mixed office paper - before selling it to different paper mills. Every tonne of paper diverted from landfill makes a big difference. In the fiscal year 2011/12, the University recycled and diverted over 426 tonnes of paper from the landfill - the equivalent of approximately 7200 mature trees!
For convenience, all of your recyclable paper can go into a single bin without any sorting. Non-recyclable paper products, such as carbon paper, paper cups, paper plates, used hand towels or tissues, should go in the garbage.
ACCEPTABLE ITEMS IN PAPER RECYCLING PROGRAM
| White/Coloured Office Paper | No need to remove staples. However, paper clips and rubbers bands should be removed and can be reused. |
| Other Office Paper | Damaged file folders and used carbonless forms can be recycled as well! (Reusable file folders can be sent to the re-shop for re-use) |
| Envelopes of all kinds | No need to remove plastic windows! |
| Newsprint and flyers | Old news is recyclable news! |
| Boxboard | Supplies are often packaged using boxboard, as are some brands of candy and most cereal boxes. |
| Cardboard | Please remove any non-recyclable packaging material, such as styrofoam, before flattening boxes. |
| Magazines | Includes all soft-cover magazines, catalogues and glossy papers. |
| Phonebooks | Old U of M phone books, plus MTS White & Yellow pages can all go in the recycling bin as is (no need to remove bindings). |
| Books | Soft-cover books are recyclable and can go straight into the recycling bin as is. If a soft covered book has a plastic coil binding, please remove it first. Hard-cover books, however, are only recyclable if the covers are separated from the book beforehand. |
| Other | Other types of materials accepted include: lined paper, old notebooks, exercise books. |
COMMON CONTAMINANTS THAT SHOULD GO IN THE GARBAGE INCLUDE:
| Styrofoam | Styrofoam is a non-recyclable form of plastic that has to go in the garbage. Please avoid using it wherever possible! |
| Paper Cups | Any paper product that has come in contact with food, such as paper cups, plates, and napkins, should go into the garbage. |
| Food Waste | At this point, there is no composting program on campus, so please put it in the garbage. |
| Overheads | Please send them to the Waste Prevention Office in an inter-department envelope or box them up and send them with truck messenger (474-9646). We will have them recycled. |
| Carbon Paper | Is non-recyclable, please trash it and consider buying carbonless forms in the future. |
| Kleenex/Tissues | Please put in the garbage. |
| Hand Towels | Electronic hand dryers or reusable cloth towels are cheaper and more sustainable options - please use them instead of wasteful hand towels when you can. |
CONTAINERS
Beverage containers are collected in either blue or green bins. Blue bins take most household type containers, including aluminum beverage cans, steel food cans, plastic pop bottles, plastic iced cappuccino cups, milk cartons, milk jugs, drink boxes, yogurt and margarine containers, shampoo/conditioner bottles, laundry detergent bottles, other plastics that have a recycling symbol as well as steel cans.
Green bins accept all glass. Unfortunately, market conditions for glass are poor, therefore consider limiting the amount of glass you consume on campus. (Note: The University of Manitoba's glass is crushed and used for roadfill as a replacement for gravel).
WHAT CAN PAPER, CARDBOARD AND CONTAINERS BE MADE INTO?
If you are curious enough to find out what paper and containers get recycled into once they leave the University then click here!