Where to Recycle

The Recycling and Refuse team strives to make the choice to recycle as easy as possible by providing bins all across campus, including in dormitories, offices, classrooms, hallways and along sidewalks.  Look for blue bins inside campus buildings, outdoor receptacles with blue lids along the sidewalks, and trailers across campus for cardboard/paperboard collection.  Everyone is responsible for taking materials from their desk-side recycling container to the public recepticles.  Check the labeling on each receptacle to see which material(s) the bin accepts.  Remember to empty remaining liquids and food debris from items before recycling to keep contaminants out of the recycling stream.  Email recycling@ou.edu to order additional recycling containers for your department.  

• Adams, Couch, and Walker Centers have recycling containers in all of the trash rooms and cabinets in the lobby.  These containers are partitioned to accept paper, newspaper, aluminum, and plastic (#1-7). Cardboard should be broken down and deposited in the blue cardboard carts located in the basement.

• David L Boren Hall has recycling containers on each wing just inside the entry doors, in addition to a recycling cabinet in the building's main lounge.

• Headington Hall has recycling containers in the hallways, academic commons, and theatre.  These containers are partitioned to accept paper, newspaper, aluminum, and plastic (#1-7). Cardboard should be broken down and deposited in the trash rooms.

• Residential Colleges have recycling cabinets on each floor of the residential spaces. The cabinets are slotted and labeled for paper, paper, aluminum and plastic.  Cardboard should be broken down and deposited in the trailer located on the south side of the property. 

• Traditions East, Traditions West, and Kraettli Apartments each have recycling rolloffs which are partitioned to accept plastics #1-7, cardboard, and aluminum/metals.  Traditions East has two roll offs – one located near Building A, the other near Building E.  Traditions West also has two roll offs – one located near Building K, the other near Building O.  Kraettli has one roll off and it is located to the east of building 401. 

Employees are provided recycling containers for their paper, plastic and aluminum. When personal office recycling containers are full, empty the materials into the larger recycling containers within the department.  Check the labeling on each receptacle to see what materials the bin accepts.  Larger recycling containers are divided into two categories (1) one for paper (white paper, mixed paper, newspaper) and (2) the other for both plastics and metals (plastic #1-7 and aluminum).  If your larger recycling containers are not labeled as either “paper” or “aluminum,” decide as an office which bins you will designate as paper and which you will designate as aluminum, then be consistent with how you sort the materials.

These areas will have larger blue bins designated to accept either (1) paper (white paper, mixed paper, newspaper) or (2) plastics and metals (plastic #1-7 and aluminum).  Check the labeling on each receptacle to see what materials the bin accepts.   

Outdoor pedestrian receptacles with blue dual purpose lids line campus sidewalks.  The containers accept plastic (#1-7) and aluminum.

A map of outdoor recycling receptacles can be viewed here.

Cardboard trailers accept broken down cardboard and paperboard (cereal boxes, milk boxes, toilet and paper towel rolls, etc).  The locations for cardboard trailers are as follows:

• Rawls Engineering Practice Facility – loading dock, south side of building
• Student Union – near the dumpster, north east side of building
• Sarkeys Energy Center – east of building in the parking lot
• OU Water Tower
• The Chemistry Annex – near the dumpster, south side of building
• Collings Hall – in the parking lot to the west of the building, near the dumpster
• Gaylord – north side of the building, near the dumpster
• Football Stadium – gate 1
• Cate Main – at the loading dock, west side of building near the Freight Farm
• Couch Restaurants – at the loading dock, south side of building
• McCarter Hall – north side of building
• Stephenson Research –  at the loading dock, east side of building
• 705 E Lindsey –  north side of building parking lot
• Radar Innovations Lab
• Sam Noble Museum – at the loading dock
• Stubbeman village – west side of building
• Purchasing –  2750 Venture Dr, Norman, OK
• Stephenson Life Sciences
• Residential Colleges – near dumpster on south side

For those who are living off campus and may not have the ability to recycle at their apartment or home, a recycling trailer can be accessed 24/7 at the south campus recycling center located at 525 Columbus Street.  The rolloff is partitioned to accept plastics #1-7, cardboard, and aluminum/metals.