Questions about Compost & Recycling @UMBC? Ask Me Anything!

Did you know...

UMBC has a color coded composting, recycling and trash collection system: There are 3 types of bags, blue bags in recycling bins, special green compostable bags in compost bins, and black trash bags in the 'landfill' section of the waste bin. The color coding allows for the bags to be collected at once and then transferred into the appropriate dumpster.

Recycling

Republic Services is UMBC's hauler for recycling and trash. You can learn more about what can be recycled on their website. UMBC gets funds for paper recycling from Paper Retriever (there were dumpsters labelled for that) but you can put any type of recycling in the mixed (plastic/aluminum/glass) recycling container, those recycling bins are later sorted at the facility by an automated machine.

So when in doubt if something is recyclable, just recycle it.

Compost

A company called Waste Neutral picks up UMBC's compost and hauls it to a facility in Prince George's County. The facility doesn't accept compost that's contaminated with non compostable materials (like plastic, glass, etc).

But when in doubt if something is compostable, don't compost it unless it's clearly food scraps or paper napkins or something that you know is biodegradable or labelled compostable!

Read the do's and don't of recycling and composting here: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/sustainability/posts/59694