Waste Management
Recycling
Miami University makes it easy to recycle: Put your items in the blue recycle bins located next to the grey waste bins in most buildings on campus.
Single stream recycling allows plastics, cardboard, paper, metal, and glass to all be recycled together in one bin.
- The key to single stream recycling is to keep all paper dry. Throw any wet or greasy paper products in the trash.
- DO NOT PUT PLASTIC BAGS in the blue recycle bin.
Rumpke Waste & Recycling is Miami's waste hauling provider (Rumpke also serves all of Butler and Warren counties).
What items are acceptable for recycling by Rumpke?
As of Feb. 1, 2022, in Southwest Ohio Rumpke now accepts paper and plastic beverage cups such as those from fast food restaurants.
Colorful Solo brand cups are not accepted - they are made from polystyrene and Rumpke does not yet have a long-term end-user for this material.
For more information, check out Rumpke's cup recycling FAQ.
- Plastic Cups with plastic lids. Reattach lids to cups.
- Paper cups. *Plastic lids must be removed and discarded.
- Straws and stoppers are NOT accepted.
- Colorful Solo brand cups are NOT accepted.
Recycle:
- Newspapers (with glossy ad inserts)
- Magazines & catalogs
- Envelopes and junk mail
- Paper bags
- Office paper
- Boxes (break down/flatten large boxes)
- Pizza boxes (without food residue)
- Paper towel and toilet paper cores
- Frozen meal boxes
- Cereal boxes (the inner liner is trash)
- Cartons—milk, juice, soup, broth, wine (remove plastic caps), juice boxes are acceptable, throw away the straw
- Paper beverage cups (not plastic lids)
DO NOT recycle:
- Napkins, paper towels or tissues
- Paper plates
- Cardboard "to go" containers
- Specially-treated paper (photographs, photo paper)
- Laminated paper (thick or waterproof coverings)
- Milk bottles and jugs (lids attached)
- Soft drink and water bottles (lids attached)
- Shampoo and conditioner bottles (lids attached)
- Laundry detergent bottles (lids attached)
- Tubs (such as yogurt and fruit cups)
- Plastic beverage cups (not colorful Solo brand cups)
DO NOT recycle:
- Items without bottle neck
- Plastic bags
- Shrink wrap
- Film
- Styrofoam
- Straws
- Berry containers (clamshell containers)
- Frozen meal trays
- Salad bowl containers
- Plastic toys
- Plastic buckets
- VHS tapes
Recycle:
- Beverage bottles
- Olive oil bottles
- Food jars
- Mason jars
All colors are accepted and labels do not need to be removed. Rinse out any residue if needed.
DO NOT recycle:
- Light bulbs
- Mirrors
- Windows
- Drinking glasses
Special Recycling
The following items cannot be recycled in Miami's blue bins but can be recycled at other recycling locations.
Plastic shopping bags: Plastic bags are collected at Kroger and Walmart for recycling. Do not include them in regular recycling because they damage downstream processing equipment.
Confidential materials: Complete a service request for pick-up, or drop off at ShredFest which happens in Fall and Spring on campus.
Computers: Complete an IT service request for a pick-up of university property. The Miami Bookstore provides credit for some brands of personally-owned computers.
Batteries: For batteries used on campus: All battery types are accepted (including computer and watch batteries). Tape over both terminals of 9-volt batteries, and the positive (+) terminal of lithium batteries. Find a battery recycling bin in several buildings on campus. Contact PFD when bins are full. This is a service for on-campus use.
Toners and Ink Cartridges: Several do-it-yourself mail-back programs are available to recycle toners and ink cartridges. Both HP and Guy Brown are used by offices on campus.
