Sustainability

Recycling

WIU's recycling program is a "co-mingled" system, meaning all items are combined and there is no need to worry about which bin to place recyclables in.
Please contact Building Services with any questions at (309) 298-1834 ext. 236.

Glass
  • Salsa Jars
  • Beverage Jars
Plastics #1-7
  • 2-Liter Bottles
  • Laundry Detergent
  • Soda & Water Bottles
  • Milk Jugs
  • Yogurt & Butter Containers
Paper Products
  • White & Color Paper
  • Envelopes
  • Newspaper & Magazines
  • Cardstock
Chipboard & Cardboard
  • Tissue Boxes
  • Food Boxes
  • Cereal Boxes
  • Corrugated Cardboard
Metals
  • Aluminium Cans
  • Soup Cans
  • Vegetable Cans
  • Metal Lids
  • Aluminium Foil
Do's and Don'ts
  • No broken glass or light bulbs.
  • No plastic lids
  • No tissues, napkins or paper plates.
  • Pizza boxes that are made of corrugated cardboard can be recycled if they are not overly contaminated with food or grease. If only the lid is not contaminated, tear the lid off and recycle it.
Where does it go?
Outdoor Recycling Bins Indoor Recycling Containers Alternate Recycling Bins
Recycling Other Items

The Tri-County Regional Collection Facility (TCRCF) accepts many kinds of electronics, paints, household batteries, CFL lamps/bulbs and more.

For more information, call (309) 331-4782 or (309) 836-5926. The facility is located at 510 North Pearl Street in Macomb. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, and the first Saturday of the month from 8:00 am to noon.

Visit their website for more info.

Battery Recycling

The recycling bin will be located in the Building Representatives office to provide a central location for building occupants to drop off their batteries. When the bin is full, please complete a Physical Plant Work Order form asking for your battery bin to be emptied. Also attached is the EPA Battery Alert packet for your information. Batteries CANNOT be placed in our standard blue recycling bins with paper, plastic, and aluminum.

Contact Building Services at 309-298-1834 ext. 236 for questions regarding battery recycling.

Nearly all batteries can be recycled:

  • Cell phone batteries
  • Laptop batteries
  • All Alkaline batteries
  • All Nickel batteries
  • Rechargeable batteries

Personal battery & electronic waste can be recycled at Tri-County Resource & Waste Management Council

various batteries

Ink & Toner Cartridge Recycling

ink cartridge

Rocky Sustains has taken over the ink and toner cartridge recycling program previously administered by University Printing & Mailing Center (UPMC). The empty cartridges can be placed on top of or near departmental mail bags* for pick-up. Please do not place them inside the mail bag. Rocky Sustains will then collect the cartridges from the mailroom for recycling. All copier, inkjet and laser desktop printer toner and cartridges can be recycled in the program. According to state of Illinois policy, the cartridges are university property and may not be donated to any entity or organization off-campus.

All cartridges including recycled cartridge are accepted.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Building Services (309) 298-1834 ext. 236.

*Please place empty cartridges in a box, envelope, or plastic bag to prevent leaking of ink or toner.

toner cartridge

Recyclemania Tournament

Recyclemania Logo

RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over an 8-week period each spring, colleges across the United States and Canada report the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are in turn ranked in various categories based on who recycles the most on a per capita basis, as well as which schools have the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste and which schools generate the least amount of combined trash and recycling.

Head to Recyclemania.org to see more information or go directly to the report for WIU.