Recycling
NJIT aims to integrate sustainability into our community’s daily life. Recycling is a key step.
Our goal is to prevent further environmental degradation. We strive to do so not just by recycling, but by recycling correctly to build a clean, safe and sustainable environment. We need your help. Please look below to learn more about our recycling strategy at NJIT and how you can recycle correctly.
The Recycling Process
We follow single-stream recycling. The advantage of putting all recyclable items in one bin is that it is simple and convenient. However, it also produces a lot of contamination. Daily, the Custodial Services Department empties the bins from the housing and administrative buildings and takes them to different areas on campus for final storage. From there, Waste Management picks up our landfill items and recyclables and hauls them off to a facility where waste is separated.
Reduce Contamination
- Have you dropped your half-filled coffee cups in the recycling bin before? If you haven’t: good job! One in every four items deposited in the recycling bin is contaminated. Sometimes there’s leftover food residue in the recycled materials. Non-recyclables also find their way into the recycling bin. To assist in helping you decide what to put where, we’ve attached a recycling guide below.
Recycling Guide
- For the recycling guide, click here.
- If you’re throwing out something that isn’t in the poster above, please use the Recycle Coach app to determine where it goes.
Recycling Services
- Waste Watch
A website built to educate the NJIT community about the right way to recycle. The website includes the location of the trash cans on campus and contains the schedule for trash collection (paper, cardboard, yard waste and bulky trash) based on the zone. - NJIT Green
A student-led organization whose goals consist of increasing recycling compliance at NJIT, redirecting food waste and offering alternatives to single-use items.
FAQ’s
Recyclables are transferred to the recycling processing plant.
In the academic year of 2021, NJIT sent 679 tons of waste to landfill.
NJIT’s recycling rate is 22 percent for FY2022.
NJIT follows a single stream recycling system.
Single stream recycling is a system where all acceptable recyclables are put in one recycling bin. Please refer to NJIT’s recycling guide for materials that are acceptable.
Not yet but we plan to have composting bins in the future.
No. If you have a hazardous item, please contact the NJIT Environmental Health & Safety Department at healthandsafety@njit.edu.
Please visit NJIT School Dude to make a request for a recycling bin. If it’s for an event, the request must be submitted a week in advance.
Thank you for asking!
- Please check The Office of Sustainability page, for volunteer opportunities for upcoming sustainability events. There’s also a ‘get involved’ section which provides information about clubs you can join that are pursuing sustainability at NJIT.
- Make sure you are recycling. If you see something that is recyclable in the trash bin, move it to the right bin. Little changes like this make a big impact.
- Involve and encourage your friends & family to practice sustainability. Change comes faster when we all work together!
Have further questions? Email us at sustainability@njit.edu.