Bottles, cans, magazines, even paper cups - with single stream
it all goes together!
Harvard uses single-stream recycling, which means all recyclables go in the same bin– paper, bottles, containers…everything! Well, not quite everything. That’s why we put together a quiz to test your knowledge and clear up some common misconceptions about what goes where.
BREAKING NEWS! You might be surprised to learn that the following items can now be recycled in Harvard's single-stream.
- paper coffee cups
- pizza boxes (but only when food has been scraped out)
Take action
1. Take the quiz, then take us to the next level
- Which of the following items CAN you recycle in single stream bins?
a. Napkins
b. Plastic plates and cups (#s 1-7)
c. Styrofoam cups
- After you finish a bottled drink, you should
a. Discard it in the nearest trash can
b. Remove the cap, tear off the label, and recycle the bottle only
c. Remove the cap, pour any beverage residue down the drain, re-cap and recycle both cap and bottle
- Which of the following items is NOT recyclable?
a. Aluminum foil
b. Plastic forks and spoons
c. Pizza boxes
Email your answers to sustainability@harvard.edu for a chance to win great prizes!
2. Update Your Office or Dorm Recycling Signs
Download the newest recycling, trash and composting signage for your office or dorm.
3. Reduce and Reuse…before you recycle
Recycling is definitely important, but always take a moment to think before you use. Printing double-sided, using travel mugs and water bottles and saving old items for Freecycle events or the Harvard Reuse List all help cut back on waste in the first place, and save you (and the University) money!
4. Head down (single) stream
Where does all Harvard’s recycling go, anyway? Find out more about the Casella plant’s Zero-Sort process or see for yourself—email Rob Gogan to receive updates about occasional field trips to the facility.
Learn more
What Harvard is Doing
For the past two years, Harvard has reached a record high university-wide recycling rate of 50%. We discarded 8,230 tons of trash in 2009—a per capita rate of about 400 pounds per person.1 This year, the challenge is clear: can we lower that to 350 pounds per person and pump Harvard’s recycling rate to a new record?
The 2010 Harvard Habitat for Humanity Stuff Sale was a huge success—in the first day they set an all-time record for a single day’s sales of $15,000! Thanks to all the students, staff, faculty and neighbors who shopped used goods in support of HHH's mission to build housing for the needy.
Live or work at Longwood? The Recycling & Composting program at the HSPH saved the school over $28,000 last year!2 Check out the recycling guidelines for HMS and HSPH
and give or get old items at this month’s HMS Freecycle event, taking place September 29th in the Courtyard Café. Email sustainability@hms.harvard.edu for more information.
Recycling Resources
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