Common Items

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

Recyclable Materials

These are the items collected for recycling on campus and designated containers are located in all campus buildings.

• Plastic: only bottles, jugs, and jars.  Leave lids on and rinse to remove food residue.
• Aluminum and steel cans: rinse to remove food residue.
• Mixed paper: any paper larger than two inch square including office and copy paper, magazines, newspaper, books, cereal boxes or chipboard, etc.
• Books: request roll carts for large quantities.
• Corrugated cardboard: flatten and place neatly next to the recycling station or place in designated dumpsters.

Source Separated Recyclable Materials 

These items are collected separately for recycling and should not be placed in recycling collection bins.  Contact us to learn about the process of recycling these items.

• Shredded paper: bag and keep separate from mixed office paper.
• Electronics (e-waste) 
• Toner and inkjet cartridges 
  
• Batteries (Because of the risk of fire, keep all lithium-ion batteries out of the trash and recycling recepticles.  Contact us for special instructions for how to prepare these batteries for proper disposal).  

Winthrop may only recycle batteries, electronics, toner, and inkjet cartridges used for official use on campus. Visit the Call2Recycle Web site to search for where to recycle batteries used for personal use at home. 

Waste Only

Recycling is often contaminated by items that cannot be recycled.  Below is a list of common waste items found in recycling containers.  DO NOT place these items in campus recycling bins!

• Bagged recyclables: place loose recyclables into the recycling bin 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.)
• Cartons: these containers (protein drinks, orange juice, snacks, etc.) are made from layers of paper and polyethylene (plastic) and/or aluminum.
• 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 the top off and recycle if there is no on 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 recyclable and are processed separately.
• Food: makes bins smell. Composting is the process for food.  There is no commercial food composting facility in or near Rock Hill.
• Personal home recyclables: different municipalities offer recycling and may recycle items Winthrop does not collect.
• Foamboard 
• Bagged trash
• Paper towels and tissues
• Three-ring binders: remove and recycle paper contents; reuse binders or share with other departments.
• Electronics: do not place electronics in the trash or recycling bins.  Contact the Office of Sustainability for instructions about recycling electronics.
  

Additional Recycling Information

Recycling collected in Winthrop University's centralized stations is sent to York County Solid Waste Collection & Recycling.  Winthrop uses clear bags to collect recycling from recycling receptacles.   Custodians pull the recycling from the buildings and stage it somewhere outside the building where a Facilities Management staff member will pick it up.  It is then taken to facilities, sorted, and emptied from the bags to a compactor.  If you notice clear bags in a trash dumpster, please get in touch with the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@winthrop.edu.

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 POSTER (PDF - 0.5 MB) (11x17) 
• MIXED PAPER POSTER (PDF - 1 MB) (8.5" x 11") 
• PLASTIC AND METAL POSTER (PDF - 1 MB)  (8.5" x 11")
• OTHER RECYCLABLES POSTER (electronics) (8.5" x 11")
• OTHER RECYCLABLES POSTER (items collected off campus) (PDF - 1.6 MB) (8.5" x 11")
• A printable WASTE ONLY poster (pdf - 2.15 MB) is available that illustrates the most common items found in recycling bins that are not recyclable on Winthrop University's campus.

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).