UNCW Recycling

Move-In Reminder: Recycle moving boxes!

We look forward to welcoming Seahawks new and returning to campus for the school year. Please remember to avoid overpacking, plan to break down boxes to be recycled in the large yellow dumpsters, and avoid leaving trash outside on the ground. All trash goes in the black dumpsters while recycling (mainly cardboard boxes) goes in the larger yellow dumpsters.

Thanks for visiting us at the Business Services Showcase! If you missed us, check out our website to see what you can recycle at UNCW.

DEPOT CLOSING: We apologize for the inconvenience. Our forklift (how we empty depot bins) has broken down and the estimated repairs will keep the depot closed from Tuesday June 25th until we tentatively reopen Monday, July 1st.

Please hold all recyclables until further notice. The nearest recycling location is at the Wrightsville Beach Municipal Complex. Film and foam can be recycled upon depot reopening.

Students from Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland studying abroad at UNCW took the Environmental Global Issues course, led by UNCW Environmental Sciences Department faculty, Hannah Bell. Sustainability, a key topic in this course, took the class to UNCW Recycling’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). They had the opportunity to tour the storage warehouse, sorting facility, and public recycling depot. They even got their hands dirty by helping the recycling team to sort recyclable materials, remove contamination, and load balers to prepare for shipment. If you or your class is interested in taking a tour or volunteering, contact [email protected] to schedule today!

Need a Recycling Service? Submit a service request today!

Available Services:
Recycling bin servicing for overflows
Recycling carts for office moves, retirement, and file purges
Recycling at campus events

Submit a service request and recycling will schedule and facilitate all your recycling needs. See our website for details.

NEW SERVICE SCHEDULE: We have updated the routes for servicing campus buildings to adjust for summer hours.

No buildings will be serviced on Fridays. Buildings that are only serviced on Fridays will be serviced on Thursdays. Buildings that receive service multiple times each week will be serviced one less service weekly during the summer.

WINNER: Congratulations to Marshall McArthur! Marshall won a beach photo canvas with a guess of 900 lbs for the weight of the bale of cardboard at the Staff Strides Soar into Summer event. The cardboard bale weighed 909 pounds. Thanks everyone for playing!

SUMMER HOURS ☀️
Public Depot: Open Daily, 6:30am to 6:30pm (5195 Lionfish Dr.)
Electronics Recycling: Mon - Fri, 8am to 4pm (5179 Lionfish Dr.)
Office: Mon - Fri, 8am to 4pm

Results are in! We recycled 23,106 pounds in the month of March for the Campus Race to Zero Waste's Electronics Recycling Competition, placing 5th out of 20 colleges and universities.

We want to extend a big THANK YOU to all those who contributed!

If you have unwanted electronics, we accept them year-round. Recycle electronics Monday through Friday at 5179 Lionfish Dr.

Want to become a recycling technician? Apply online by May 8th!

You will have the opportunity to get forklift certified, learn the innerworkings of the recycling industry, and contribute to sustainability at UNCW! Recycling Technicians facilitate the collection, sorting, and processing of recyclable commodities to divert them from the landfill. This includes servicing of recycling containers, sorting recyclables by material, and baling/containerizing sorted materials.

Email [email protected] with any questions.

We have re-opened! Thank you for your patience while we were renovating our Materials Recovery Facility (aka MRF, where we sort recyclables) to better handle the increasing popularity of our Public Depot.

Happy Earth Day!

What steps have you taken to protect our planet as you celebrate this Earth Day?

DEPOT CLOSED: Due to major renovations to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), we will be closing the depot down starting Monday, April 22nd. We anticipate opening back up on April 29th, pending project completion. Please see our website or social media for updates.

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE RECYCLING OUTSIDE OF GATES! The nearest recycling facility is at the Wrightsville Beach Recycling area. Hold all film, foam, and shredded paper until our reopening. Electronics collection will remain open during normal hours, Monday-Friday 8am to 4pm.

Our native plant garden is showing off with some coreopsis blooming this spring! 🌼 Come checkout our native plant beds when dropping off your ♻️ at the Public Recycling Depot.

Come see us at 's Our Green Future event to learn more about sustainable initiatives on campus, including recycling!

❗ LAST CALL❗ Recycle your unwanted electronics this week to help us compete in the Campus Race to Zero Waste ♻️ Electronics Competition 💻

✔️ Recycle anything that charges, takes batteries, or has a cord.

❌ We do not accept large appliances, refrigerators, lightbulbs, or batteries from the public.

Recycle Electronics TODAY at UNCW's Center for Marine Science located at 5600 Marvin K Moss Ln. from 10am-2pm. Recycle anything that charges, takes batteries, or has a cord. We do not accept large appliances, refrigerators, lightbulbs, or batteries from the public.

Can't make it? We collect electronics in the Warehouse parking lot (5179 Lionfish Dr.), Monday through Friday from 8am till 4pm.

Recycle your electronics this Saturday at UNCW's Center for Marine Science from 10am to 2pm.

Recycle most electronics with us that have a cord, take a charge, or take batteries. WE DO NOT ACCEPT: Cathode Ray Tube TVs (CRTs), large appliances (stoves/washers/dryers), refrigerators, light bulbs, batteries, and printer cartridges. Please remove batteries from devices.

Did you know that electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally? By recycling your devices, you are helping to conserve valuable resources, including precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Recycling also helps to prevent harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium from entering the environment and landfills.

Happy Global Recycling Day! ♻️

To celebrate, here are some 3 fast and fun facts about UNCW Recycling:

1. All recyclable materials that UNCW Recycling collect are sent to processing facilities within North and South Carolina. This contributes to the local economy, supports jobs, and reduces emissions in the transportation of materials.

2. UNCW recycled 429 tons of materials between July 2022 and June 2023.

3. We are a SOURCE-SEPERATE facility meaning that the sorting of recyclables starts at the point of collection - that means YOU. Customers like you are engaged in the recycling process and determine whether the recyclable is paper, plastic, metal, or glass and deposit them in separate bins.

Recycle Electronics TODAY at UNCW's Public Recycling Depot located at 5195 Lionfish Dr. from 10am-2pm. Recycle anything that charges, takes batteries, or has a cord. We do not accept large appliances, refrigerators, lightbulbs, or batteries from the public.

Can't make it? We collect electronics in the Warehouse parking lot (5179 Lionfish Dr.), Monday through Friday from 8am till 4pm.

Drop-off Electronics for Recycling

Recycle your electronics this Saturday at our Public Recycling Depot from 10am to 2pm.

Recycle most electronics with us that have a cord, take a charge, or take batteries. WE DO NOT ACCEPT: Cathode Ray Tube TVs (CRTs), large appliances (stoves/washers/dryers), refrigerators, light bulbs, batteries, and printer cartridges. Please remove batteries from devices.Did you know that electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally?

By recycling your devices, you are helping to conserve valuable resources, including precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Recycling also helps to prevent harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium from entering the environment and landfills.

Recycle Electronics TODAY at DC Virgo Preparatory School located at 813 Nixon St. from 10am-2pm. Recycle anything that charges, takes batteries, or has a cord. We do not accept large appliances, refrigerators, lightbulbs, or batteries from the public.

Drive-thru and drop-off old electronics this Saturday at DC Virgo Preparatory School from 10am to 2pm.

Recycle most electronics with us that have a cord, take a charge, or take batteries. WE DO NOT ACCEPT: Cathode Ray Tube TVs (CRTs = TVs that are not flat), large appliances (stoves/washers/dryers), refrigerators, light bulbs, batteries, and printer cartridges. Please remove batteries from devices.

Did you know that electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally? By recycling your defunct devices, you are helping to conserve valuable resources, including precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Recycling also helps to prevent harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium from entering the environment and getting lost to landfills.

Recycle Electronics TODAY at our Public Depot Located at 5195 Lionfish Dr., collections will be from 10am-2pm.

Recycle anything that charges, takes batteries, or has a cord. We do not accept large appliances, refrigerators, lightbulbs, or batteries from the public.

Drive-thru and drop-off your defunct devices!

Recycle your electronics this Saturday at our Public Recycling Depot from 10am to 2pm.

Did you know that electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally? By recycling your devices, you are helping to conserve valuable resources, including precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum. Recycling also helps to prevent harmful materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium from entering the environment and landfills.

Recycle most electronics with us that have a cord, take a charge, or take batteries. WE DO NOT ACCEPT: Cathode Ray Tube TVs (CRTs), large appliances (stoves/washers/dryers), refrigerators, light bulbs, batteries, and printer cartridges. Please remove batteries from devices.

Recycle old and unwanted Electronics this March ♻️ Help us win the Campus Race to Zero Waste Electronics Recycling Competition!

We will be hosting Saturday collection events through March from 10am to 2pm. March 2nd and 16th we will be located at our Public Recycling Depot (5195 Lionfish Dr.). Find us at DC Virgo Preparatory School on March 9th (813 Nixon St.) and the Center for Marine Science (Marvin K. Moss Ln.) on March 23rd.

Busy Saturdays ? You can also drop off your electronics at the UNCW Warehouse lot at 5179 Lionfish Dr. Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm.

Accepted materials: corded electronics (such as tvs, microwaves, printers, fans, and radios), chargeable electronics (such as tablets, laptops, phones, gaming controllers, tools, and power banks), and tanglers (such as cords, internet cables, and string lights)

NO large appliances, light bulbs, printer cartridges, batteries, aerosol cans, or other hazardous waste. Please remove batteries from devices.

3,786 pounds of plastic recycled in January!

Big thank you to our campus and local community for recycling rigid plastic # 1s, 2s, and 5s. Rinsed recyclables with caps replaced help keep our contamination rates down and make these numbers possible. If you want to recycle more, drop off accepted plastics in bins labeled "plastic" in buildings and our public depot.

Have questions about what plastics you can recycle? Let us know! Comment below, message us, or send an email to [email protected].

What does cardboard recycling look like?

This! We collect cardboard, sort out contamination like paper and plastic, and then bale it. Each bale weighs between 600 and 900 pounds. The Shore and Wagoner dining halls each produce one of these bales every four days.

What kind of cardboard do we accept? Corrugated cardboard containers such as shipping boxes, pizza boxes, and product boxes. Cardboard that is soaked in grease, wet, waxed, covered in food, painted, or covered in glitter are not recyclable.

If you want to start recycling cardboard with us, drop off broken down boxes at our Public Recycling Depot in the cardboard dumpsters or if out on campus, deposit flattened boxes behind recycling stations.

Did you know that contamination in metal recycling can force recyclers to trash what could have been recycled? Excessive food residue and containers that are not fully cleaned can lead to the growth of bacteria and fungi, attract pests, and result in valuable recyclables being discarded. Unwanted materials are another source of contamination, examples of such materials that are not accepted includes large appliances, batteries, electronics, wrappers, chip bags, aerosol can, pressurized tanks, and hazardous waste containers such as paint and oil cans. These items can be disposed of responsibly at New Hanover County Household Waste on 421 or the HazWagon, located at convenient locations throughout the week.

How can you help? Recycle clean metals in the proper container. Deposit electronics in appropriate bins located in the warehouse parking lot (5179 Lionfish Dr.) Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm.