Recycling Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about recycling at NAU. If your question is not answered below feel free to send us an email at green@nau.edu.
Q. Can I recycle my paper coffee cup?
A. Paper cups and plastic lids are NOT recyclable in Flagstaff. However, the cardboard sleeve can be recycled. Starting in Fall 2018, try out the new O2Go reusable cups available at most campus coffee shops. Buy into the program for $5 and save 50 cents every time you purchase a beverage. Return the cup to the kiosk and NAU will wash it and send it back to the coffee shop.
Q. What do I do about glass?
A. Glass CANNOT go in the comingled recycle bins across campus, but you can recycle glass at NAU at eight drop off locations. Find a location near you. There are also other drop-off locations around the City of Flagstaff. To find a location visit the City of Flagstaff drop-off locations page. Learn more about what happens to glass and Glass Collection Guidelines.
Q. Where can I recycle batteries?
A. Batteries can be dropped off at the Union and Du Bois information booths as well as brought to Facility Services (building #77) on south campus. If you have 9-volt or button-style batteries as found in watches or small electronics please tape over the terminals.
Q. Where can I recycle light bulbs and ballasts?
A. Light bulbs and ballasts can be brought to Facility Services (building #77) on south campus.
Q. How do I recycle books?
A. Hard cover books must be torn from their covers in order for the insides to be recycled as paper and the covers to be recycled as cardboard. Soft back books can be recycled as they are. If you have large quantities of books please take them to the recycling dumpster nearest your building. Alternatively, books can be taken to Property Surplus.
Q. How do I recycle office furniture and equipment including computer, monitors, printers, scanners, copiers, fax machines, mimeo machines, and photographic equipment?
A. Office furniture and equipment should be taken to Property Surplus.
Q. Where do I take printer toner?
A. All departments must bring their empty toner to Property Surplus.
Q. How do I recycle phone books?
A. NAU no longer prints phone books. If you do have phone books you can recycle them in the mixed recycling bins on campus. Even better, cancel your phone books.
Q. How do I recycle confidential material or shredding?
A. Confidential material should be shredded. Shredded materials must be bagged separately in clear bags and taken out to the nearest recycling dumpster. Please do not leave clear bags full of shredding near the bins in the hallway.
Q. How do I destroy and recycle confidential material if I do not have a shredder?
A. Under contract with Norton Environmental, Facility Services provides confidential document destruction. In order to have your confidential material destroyed and recycled please collect your documents and place them in file boxes in a secure area. Please remove all binder, bindings, plastic and metal clips. Dial 523-4227 to place a work order. Please request the recycling account as the chargeable account. Please DO NOT collect your paper in over sized boxes or plastic bags unless it has already been shredded. Please DO NOT include other recyclable material (ie. cardboard, plastic, or glass. Please DO NOT tape the boxes shut. For large document purges please request one or more curbside containers through the work order prior to the purge, and arrange for pick up of the containers at a later date.
Q. Can I recycle Styrofoam?
A. Styrofoam is NOT recyclable in Flagstaff. We are striving to be a Styrofoam free campus. We encourage creative reuse of these materials. To dispose of them correctly please take them to a landfill dumpster.
Q. Can I recycle plastic bags and bubble wrap?
A. Plastic bags and bubble wrap clog up the machinery at the Flagstaff Materials Recovery Facility. Therefore they cannot be recycled in campus bins. You can, however, drop these off at specialty recycle bins at most grocery stores.
Q. Can I recycle foam packing peanuts and other mailing supplies?
A. Foam packing peanuts and other mailing supplies are not recyclable. We encourage creative reuse of these materials. To dispose of them correctly please take them to a landfill dumpster.
Q. Can I recycle wire coat hangers?
A. Wire coat hangers damage the machinery at the Flagstaff Materials Recovery Facility. We encourage creative reuse of these materials. To dispose of them correctly please take them to a landfill dumpster.
Q. Can I recycle small office supplies like paper clips and staples?
A. Small office supplies are not recyclable at our Materials Recovery Facility. We encourage creative reuse of these materials. To dispose of them correctly please take them to a landfill dumpster.
Q. Where can I recycle construction waste?
A. To recycle construction waste, contact Norton Environmental and work with the Materials Recovery Facility to correctly dispose of your waste.
Q. Can I recycle napkins, food waste, compostable bags, compostable cups, or compostable cutlery?
A. All of these items are compostable but not recyclable. The white compostable Pepsi cups can be disposed of in the union in specially marked containers. They will then be composted on campus. All other compostable material can be taken home for a home compost pile or placed in a landfill bin.
Q. How does NAU handle our leftover paint?
A. NAU’s Facility Services Paint department works hard to use resources sparingly and to recycle everything they can. They try to use up all excess paint and dispose of any leftover paint responsibly. At the end of the year, they take any excess paint and collect it on a pallet to be picked up and sold at Property Surplus. Any paint that can’t be sold there, they pay a company to pick up and use for primer and unique bulk painting jobs like graffiti cover up and dumpsters.