How UIC works to reduce waste — and how you can help

You've seen them around campus - recycling bins in classroom buildings, the solar-powered Bigbelly receptacles cans outdoors and composting bins in dining facilities and at major campus events.

These are all in place to help UIC reach its goal of becoming a zero-waste university by 2050, a goal outlined in UIC's Climate Commitment Action Plan released last year. That means by 2050, UIC hopes to divert 90% of its waste from landfills - by buying less, reusing materials, recycling and composting.

How can you help?

Here are five ways, by recycling at UIC and by passing on items you no longer need to others who can use them.

Office recycling: The UIC campus contains approximately 194 buildings and over 13 million square feet of assignable space. That's a lot of opportunities to recycle glass, metal and plastic, paper and cardboard. All campus buildings contain recycling bins in workspaces. Look for the appropriate bin and deposit bottles, cans and that stack of old printouts. Visit the recyclable materials webpage for detailed information about what can be recycled and what cannot.

Batteries and pens: Some everyday items don't fall into the standard recycling categories of paper, glass and metal. These are things like batteries, pens and markers, plastic bags, toner and ink cartridges and pipette tip boxes from labs. UIC has many spots on both the east and west sides of campus where you can drop off these special items. It's worth the effort; lithium batteries, for example, can harm the environment if they're not properly disposed of and their contents leach into the soil. For lab supplies and equipment, you can give away those you no longer want through the LabShare program.

Bigbelly recycling in the Quad: Look for the newly wrapped Bigbelly bins in the Quad that are marked for recycling cans and bottles. They help divert bottles and cans from the landfill. Bigbelly receptacles use solar power to compact waste, making them more efficient than a traditional trash bin.

Recycling events: Do you have an old cellphone, laptop, charger or extension cord? Various UIC department have events throughout the year to collect electronics and office supplies, including the Great Stuff Exchange for office supplies and the Campus Electronic Recycling Collection for electronics. During Earth Month in April, Planning, Sustainability and Project Management collects personal electronics for donation and resale to low-resource households and nonprofit organizations. Stay tuned for details as April approaches.

Composting: A natural way of recycling, compost converts organic materials - food, leaves and grass clippings, for example - into nutrient-rich compost that can be added to soil to help cultivate gardens, farms and landscapes. In its 2020 Solid Materials Management Plan, UIC reported that one-third of the waste sent to landfills was compostable. On its way to becoming a zero-waste university, UIC has been collecting food waste from the Student Center East location since 2024. The food scraps are then taken to one of two local composting facilities: Whole Earth Compost or Green Era. Look for composing bins at the 605 Commons in Student Center East and the JST Café near the UIC Forum to deposit your food scraps.

- Kyle Hillman, Strategic Marketing and Communications