Recycling
The University of Victoria has a number of different operational programs in place to deal with the recycling of many items. Our handy Recycling info card & map provides a summary of all the recycling information you see here.
All deskside blue bins on campus should be used to recycle mixed paper only. In general our campus utilizes a standard 3-bin recycling station in most buildings:
Mixed paper:
Yes
- all office paper
- magazines and newsprint
- phone books (small quantities)
No
- corrugated cardboard
- paper towels, napkins, tissues and paper plates **
- COFFEE CUPS! **
Mixed containers & hard plastics:
Yes
- all refundable bottles & cans
- tin & aluminum
- milk cartons and tetra-paks
- hard plastics including coffee cup lids and sushi trays
PLEASE RINCE ALL CONTAINERS FIRST!
No
- soft plastic bags or straws
- Styrofoam
- COFFEE CUPS! **
Landfill waste:
Yes
- chip bags, candy and granola wrappers
- food waste (where composting facilities aren't handy)
No
- paper, cardboard, refundable containers (banned from the landfill)
- batteries *
- Styrofoam *
- soft plastics *
- food waste, paper towels or coffee cups **
* See Other items tab below for more info on special recycling procedures for these items
** Can be composted
Remember, "If in doubt, throw it out" - do not contaminate recycling bins with food waste or non-recyclable items!
If you would like detailed information on these programs, please contact Waste Reduction Unit, wastenot@uvic.ca or 250-853-3160.
Other items
Corrugated cardboard: Break down boxes, remove tape and place outside of office for janitorial pick up, or in designated outdoor containers.
Personal batteries & cell phones: There are 4 drop box locations for personal batteries & cell phones: the University Centre, the Student Union Building, Bob Wright Centre, and the Ian Stewart Complex. No damaged batteries please. UVic cell phones should be returned to University Systems.
Soft plastics: There is one drop station in the Student Union Building for (clean) plastic bag recycling. Signage here.
Polystyrene (Styrofoam): Packing foam can be placed in a clear plastic bag (enter FAMIS service request or call 7616 to order) and left in the hallway or by stairs for the janitors to pick up. Signage here.
E-waste and furniture
Computers, printers, AV equipment, other electronics and media (CDs, diskettes) can be picked and and recycled or sent to asset disposal. See Purchasing website for more information. All hard drives must be removed prior to disposal and all electronics must be tagged for recycling by your IT administrator. All UVic owned cameras, PDAs and storage media (discs, tapes etc) should be disposed of through Purchasing for confidential shredding/recycling.
Used furniture can also be picked up for resale or recycling by entering a FAMIS service request for assessment, or by contacting Stephen Wylie, Surplus Asset Coordinator.
Books
Used books can be dropped off through the year at the UVic Bookstore. Proceeds go to the Grace Educational Foundation.
Used books are also collected by the Library for the annual United Way Book Sale. Contact libadmin@uvic.ca for more info.
Used clothing
The Canadian Diabetes Association has several Clothesline drop boxes on campus near student residences that accept clean, resalable clothing, linens, blankets, shoes, hats, handbags and towels. For locations, check the map in this brochure.
Pacific Mobile Depots
On the second Saturday of every month, UVic hosts a community recycling event through Pacific Mobile Depots. For a small fee, students living in residences and members of the surrounding community can drop off their hard-to-recycle items such as Styrofoam, batteries, foil, chip bags and electronics to parking Lot #7 from 9 AM to Noon. Part proceeds support student campus environmental programs.
