Recycling, Compost, and Waste

Recycling:

Syracuse University started a single stream, or mixed, recycling program on campus in January 2022.

Items to recycle include:

  • stackable plastic tubs from products such as yogurt, margarine, cottage cheese (discard lids)
  • pizza boxes – please remove leftover food product and crumbs (the grease is okay)
  • plastic bottles and jugs (with handle) with the cap still on (discard cap if not on the bottles)
  • paper – newspaper, magazines, softcover books (paperbacks, phone books, manuals, workbooks, notebooks, etc.); remove any spiral, wire, or plastic binding, NO hardcover books are accepted
  • metal – food and beverage cans, aluminum foil, aerosol cans
  • glass – food containers, beverages containers, wine and liquor bottles
  • paperback cardboard (i.e. cereal boxes) and broken-down cardboard boxes

All containers should be empty and rinsed.

Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency's trash and recycling guidelines.
Trash and recycling graphic.

Plastic bags cannot be recycled on campus but are accepted at large stores, shopping malls, and medium to large chain stores such as Wegmans. Plastic bags and other film plastics that are being returned should be free of debris.

More recent initiatives to reduce campus waste include:

  • polystyrene recycling program – the cold Styrofoam shipping boxes are picked up from the labs on campus and delivered to Thermal Foams for recycling

You can also print out a list of proper recycling techniques (Infographic PDF.)

Compost:

Syracuse University composts pre and post-consumer food waste from Food Services’ Commissary and all eight of its major campus dining locations. The University partners with the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency to compost the scraps at a nearby site.

  • Since the inception of the program, the University has increased its food waste diversion from seven tons of material in 2010 to just under 400 tons in 2012 and over 600 tons in 2015.
  • Faculty, staff, and students can participate in composting by dropping off compostable items at the totes located outside of the Sustainability Management Office on South Campus at 161 Farm Acre Road. The grounds crew will come and pick up the totes when they are full and dump the food scraps in a larger dumpster behind Facilities which eventually goes to the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCCRA) compost site.
  • Items accepted in the compost toters include:
    • fruit and vegetable scraps
    • bread and grains
    • dairy
    • fish
    • meat and bones
    • coffee grounds and filters
    • popped popcorn, not in the bag
    • eggshells
    • cardboard egg cartons
    • paper towels and napkins
    • newspaper
    • teabags
    • pumpkins and summer/winter squash
    • brush, garden waste, grass, hay, hedge trimmings, leaves, pinecones, pine needles, plants, root balls, sticks, straw, stumps, tree limbs, tree trunks, and vines
    • compostable to-go containers, straws, cups, utensils

The University is also in the process of converting plastic utensils, cups, plates, and bowls to compostable alternatives. Read more about our Plastic Reduction Plan.

Trash:

Often times, recycling bins are contaminated with items that are actually trash. Here’s a list of items that cannot be recycled on campus and should be thrown in the trash:

  • Plastic bags
  • Soda/beverage boxes (ex. box that holds 12 pack of Pepsi cans)
  • Coffee cups
  • Plastic berry containers
  • Freezer boxes