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The Green Forester > Recycling FAQ’s

What is recyclable on campus?

We recycle GLASS, PLASTIC #1-7, PAPER, CARDBOARD, TIN and ALUMINUM.

Examples include:
* Glass Bottles, Aluminum Cans, Plastic Bottles
* Pizza boxes (without leftovers)
* Newspaper, old homework papers
* Cardboard- broken down and empty
* Detergent, cleaning bottles

What makes the recycling containers contaminated?

Contamination of recycling bins leads to rejection from our provider of the materials. This means that we then have to pay to have it specially removed by our trash provider. If we (as a community) would like to better our recycling efforts, we need to cut down on the contamination. These items will contaminate our bins:

* Any food product (i.e. left over pizza, unrinsed Naked bottles, etc) generally anything over 5% food residue will cause the entire containers rejection
* Steel (shaving cream cans, etc.)
* Envelopes with windows on them or bubble wrap
* Styrofoam (even the stuff that comes in the recyclable boxes)
* The lids from all plastic bottles
* Anything that is not glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, tin or aluminum.

Where do we recycle?

Buildings around campus have blue recycling bins. Most of our bins are co-mingle, meaning that you can mix various recyclable products within the same container. Each campus has outside receptacles. Residence Hall Residents are encouraged to use these bins at their convenience. Staff and faculty can request a recycling bin from Facilities Management. Students living in Deerpath Hall are participating in a pilot program, which entitles them to pre-placed bins in every room. All other residential students can check out a bin from LEAP, contact Greg Reger for more information about obtaining a bin for your room at regergj@lakeforest.edu.

What are the benefits to recycling?

Every year we see landfills grow to astronomical sizes. We struggle to find places to put all the trash that is generated. Before we knew about contamination, we would throw the trash into lakes, rivers, and oceans. Now we know better, and need to find alternative ways to decrease the amount of space needed for landfills. Our first objective should be to use less wasteful materials as a preemptive measure to reduce the amount of materials we use. Our second step is to repurpose used materials into reusable materials. Paper can be made into more paper, building materials are beginning to incorporate recycled materials for long term use, even the methane spouting out of our overcrowded landfills can be made into alternative energy. The possibilities are truly endless. Every step we take towards reducing the amount of trash that enters landfills is a step towards a healthier and more efficient lifestyle for us and future generations.

What about my batteries? Should I recycle these?

The U.S. EPA estimates that more than 350 million rechargeable batteries are purchased annually in the United States. Batteries are a unique product comprised of heavy metals and other elements that make things “portable.” Some of these toxic heavy metals include nickel cadmium, alkali, mercury, nickel metal hydride and lead acid. It is the improper disposal of these substances that can threaten our water supply and wildlife. The Solid Waste Agency of Lake Forest website http://www.co.lake.il.us/swalco/default.asp is a great resource for finding out where you can recycle your batteries (and other household chemicals) locally. It would be a great student event to do a campus battery collection and dispose of many batteries all at once!