Common Items

There is no such thing as "away". When we throw anything away it must go somewhere.  -- Annie Leonard

Winthrop University has been recycling since 1991.  How we collect and what we collect has changed several time during that time.  Waste collected for recycling is processed by York County's Material Recovery Facility located in York, South Carolina.  Below is information about what items are collected on campus for recycling and what items should never be placed in the recycling bins. 

The following items are collected in designated containers for recycling:

  • Mixed paper (any paper larger than two inches square including office and copy paper, magazines, newspaper, books, cereal boxes or chipboard, etc.)
  • Shredded paper - bag and keep separate from mixed office paper
  • Books - large roll carts may be requested for large quantities of books
  • Plastics (clean bottles, jugs, and jars with lids on)
  • Aluminum and steel cans
  • Corrugated cardboard - flattened and place in designated dumpsters or bins

The following items are collected separately for recycling.  Contact us to recycle these items.

  • Electronics (e-waste) 
  • Toner and inkjet cartridges
  • Batteries used on campus.  Unfortunately, Winthrop cannot accept batteries used at home. Visit the Call2Recycle Web site to conduct a search for where to recycle batteries. 

Contact us to inquire about recycling on campus, request a printed recycling poster, and/or ask specific questions about recycling unusual items. Below are links to printable documents highlighting the specific items collected at Winthrop University for recycling. 

Recycling bins are located in residence halls and academic buildings. Paired recycling/trash receptacles can be found outside several academic buildings. You can find their locations by viewing this map (pdf - 4 MB). Dumpsters for corrugated cardboard recycling are located at various locations around campus. You can find their locations by viewing this map (pdf - 5.2 MB).

DO NOT place the following items in campus recycling bins: 

  • Bagged recyclables - place recyclables in recycling bin properly and dispose of empty bags into WASTE ONLY containers.
  • Plastic bags (zip-lock, grocery, produce, food, candy wrappers or chip bags, and/or retail bags, etc.)  Clean, dry bags may be taken to retailers who collect bags for recycling.
  • Plastic cups (Starbucks, etc.) plates, utensils, straws, yogurt containers, etc. 
  • Plastic packaging (plastic clam shells, etc.)
  • CD's, DVD's, or jewel cases
  • Flexible food pouches (made of multiple layers of material)
  • Plastic frozen dinner plates or bowls
  • Plastic packing material (padded envelopes, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, etc.) If possible, reuse packing material.
  • Styrene (Solo cups, plates, clam shells, packing peanuts, etc.)
  • Glass - glass can be taken to one of York County's waste and recycling centers but must be separated by color and from other recyclables 
  • Paper cups, plates, pizza boxes, chicken boxes, clam shells, etc. (paper products contain a thin plastic film coating)
  • Photographs 
  • Any recyclable contaminated with food or grease.
  • Pizza boxes (tear top off and recycle if there is no grease contaminating the cardboard)
  • Loose shredded paper - bagged shredded paper is still accepted on campus
  • Any item smaller than two inches in dimension
  • Sharp items (needles, razor or x-acto blades, etc.)  
  • Toner cartridges (these are processed separately)
  • Food (obviously food is not recyclable and it makes bins smell) 
  • Personal home recyclables (municipality's offer recycling and may recycle items Winthrop is not able to collect)
  • Foamboard 
  • Bagged trash
  • Paper towels and tissues
  • Three-ring binders (remove and recycle paper contents; reuse binders or donate)

DO NOT place the following items in waste bins:

  • Electronics (contact Office of Sustainability for instructions about recycling electronics) 

A printable WASTE ONLY poster (pdf - 2.15 MB) is available that illustrates the most common items found in recycling bins that are are not recyclable on Winthrop University's campus.