Recycling & Waste
Waste Prevention
For a map of recycling locations on UNO's campus, visit our UNO Sustainability Map.
To ask questions about or volunteer to help with on-campus recycling, email recycling@uno.edu.
Important Note
If you collect your own recycling, do not use a plastic bag or liner—and DO NOT put any plastic bags in UNO's recycling dumpsters. Anything recycled alongside even a single plastic bag will be treated as landfill trash.
The entire recycling dumpster would go to the landfill.
Please help us maintain the purity of our recycling stream! Keep plastic bags out of our recycling dumpsters!
Reduce
One of the simplest actions an individual can take to reduce their carbon footprint is to change the way they shop and reduce the volume of purchases they make.
Where to Shop
It takes up to four times more energy to purchase something online than it does to purchase something in a nearby store! If you need to make a purchase, browse at a local brick-and-mortar store instead of online.
What to Buy
Select fewer items that contain plastic. Most plastic items tend to be treated as single-use—permanent alternatives are preferable.
There are plenty of ways to cut down on waste. Try the replacement purchases recommended below.
You may not be able to make every change listed—but any change helps!
| Buy This! | Not This |
| Cloth, re-usable grocery bags and produce bags | Plastic bags |
| Reusable water bottles that can be refilled at one of UNO’s filtered water stations | Single-use, plastic water bottles |
| Metal straws | Single-use, plastic straws |
| Reusable, wooden utensils | Single-use, plastic utensils |
| Shampoo bars and soap bars | Plastic-bottled shampoos and body washes |
| Mason jars, Pyrex, or Tupperware | Single-use, plastic bags |
| Reusable beeswax food wrap | Plastic wrap |
| Stainless steel razor blades | Plastic, single-use razors |
| Plastic-free, natural deodorant | Single-use, plastic containers |
| Refillable floss | Single-use, plastic flossers or containers of floss |
| Bamboo toothbrushes | Single-use, plastic toothbrushes |
| Kitchen towels, rags, and old t-shirts | Single-use paper towels |
| Reusable ear swab | Single-use cotton swabs |
| Reusable menstrual hygiene products (cups, underwear, etc.) | Single-use menstrual hygiene products (pads, tampons, etc.) |
| Reusable, washable cotton rounds | Single-use cotton balls |
| Materials for making your own cleaning solvents | Cleaning solvents in single-use, plastic containers |
| Cloth diapers | Single-use, plastic-lined diapers |
| Used clothes from second-hand stores, clothes swaps with friends | New clothes |
Reuse
Once you change your purchasing habits, the next step is to use and re-use what you've already purchased!
Review the below tips for reuse of existing items.
- Donate used items (clothes, blankets, towels, pens, etc.) to local schools, shelters, or other organizations
- Reuse candle containers as trinket holders or planters.
- Sell old electronics, furniture, etc. to friends or through online marketplaces
- Bring old books to your local library
BONUS: and get a library card, so you can have unlimited access to books instead of buying them to read once - Bring your old sneakers to a Nike store to participate in their Shoe Recycling Program
- Reuse gift bags for upcoming birthdays and holidays
Recycle
There are times when we cannot avoid purchasing an item but also cannot continue using it. In these cases, turn to recycling where relevant instead of contributing to unnecessary waste!
The following items can be recycled right here at UNO:
Plastics #1 & #2
- You must read the number printed within the recycling logo to determine the type of plastic.
- All items must be completely cleaned and dried of all food, liquid, or product debris before being put into a recycling container or dumpster.
White Paper
- Please remove staples, paperclips, etc.
Cans
- Small aluminum cans
- Small steel cans
Mixed Paper
- Newspapers
- Phone books
- Catalogs
- Office paper
- Other mixed paper
Cardboard
- Corrugated cardboard
- Boxboard
- All cardboard boxes must be flattened!
If you’re interested in recycling more than what is accepted at UNO, check out what is accepted at the nearby Elysian Fields Recycling Drop Off Center.
Important Note
If you collect your own recycling, do not use a plastic bag or liner—and DO NOT put any plastic bags in UNO's recycling dumpsters. Anything recycled alongside even a single plastic bag will be treated as landfill trash.
The entire recycling dumpster would go to the landfill.
Please help us maintain the purity of our recycling stream! Keep plastic bags out of our recycling dumpsters!
Glass
Unfortunately, glass can never be added to comingled recycling and therefore cannot be recycled at UNO.
To recycle glass, drop the items off with Glass Half Full NOLA.
Cars, Boats, & Vehicles
Need to get rid of a car? Wheels For Wishes is a nonprofit car donation program that benefits the kids of Make-A-Wish in Louisiana. They make it incredibly easy for you to donate your car for a great cause. Your car donations make it possible for children dealing with critical illness to have a wish experience fully paid for! A wish experience provides a break from routine medical treatment and an uplifting moment that they can remember for the rest of their lives.
If you have an unwanted car, don’t hold onto it. By donating your car, boat, or other vehicle, you’ll enjoy free towing and a tax deduction, but best of all, you’ll know that your donation helps kids in Louisiana.
Litter Prevention
In Fall 2022, the UNO Sustainability Circle began sponsoring an anti-litter campaign on UNO’s main campus.
The initiative includes weekly litter pickups along the one-mile Birds of UNO birding trail and the woodlot adjacent to the Fine Arts Building. Anti-litter flyers have been posted on SGA kiosks around campus, and digital anti-litter flyers are included on monitors in the Earl K. Long Library.
In an effort to deter wind and nocturnal animals from spreading trash on campus, garbage dumpsters have also been marked with reminders to keep the doors closed.
Through a small grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful, 10 additional trash cans were purchased for the Keep UNO Beautiful university affiliate and placed in strategic areas throughout campus.
On September 17, 2022, several organizations participated in litter pick-up on campus for National Cleanup Day. A similar volunteer event will be held on September 16, 2023.