Waste and Recycling

Waste Reduction & Recycling

The Binghamton University campus community is continually looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste we generate and to recycle all possible materials.

Here is a look at some of our efforts:

• General recycling. The University has a comprehensive recycling program, with recycling bins for different materials in dozens of locations across campus. Not counting scrap metal or waste oil, recycling efforts from 2014 to 2022 have saved the University over a quarter of a million dollars.
• In 2015 alone, we diverted 720+ tons of material from the landfill including:
  -Co-mingled glass, metal and plastic containers: 87 tons
  -Cardboard: 230 tons
  -Paper: 139 tons
  -Compost: 116 tons
  -Ink and battery: 12 tons
  -Scrap metal: 92 tons
  -Pallets: 2 tons
  -Electronics: 29 tons
  -Donations: 21 tons
  -Waste oil: 3 tons
• Race to Zero Waste. Race to Zero Waste is a friendly competition among hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States that provides the campus community with a fun, proactive activity aimed at waste reduction.
• Move-Out Week. Each year, the University collects unwanted food and clothing when students leave campus after spring semester. Bins are placed in all residential communities so students can donate items they don’t plan to take home. In 2015, we collected and then donated 1.7 tons of sealed food!
• Electronic waste. E-Waste is collected during the Student E-Waste Drive. All items are responsibly recycled or donated to those in need. In May 2015, 3,373 pounds of electronic waste was collected and recycled.
• Compost Organic Garden Demonstration. This student-driven project promotes composting and organic gardening through active demonstrations, as well as serves as a field lab for an ecological agriculture course.
• Composting. Ever wonder what happens to the mounds of food waste in campus kitchens? Here at Binghamton University, kitchen prep trimmings, spoiled fruit and vegetables, stale bakery items and leftover plate scrapings are composted. Each day during the fall and spring semesters, we collect approximately 2,000 pounds of compostable waste from campus dining halls, eateries, and the teaching greenhouse.
• All University employees and students are encouraged to reduce paper use by printing documents only when necessary, and if necessary, then double-sided.
• Hazardous waste. The University's Environmental Health and Safety Department can provide direction on the proper disposal of hazardous waste and how to safely dispose of chemicals.