Bin There, Sorted That: Your Guide to Campus Waste Bins
Locate the waste bins in your building with a click of a button.
Proper waste sorting is one of the simplest actions you can take to tackle climate change on a daily basis – and Stanford is dedicated to making sorting easy and stress-free for everyone. Most of what is used daily on campus can be either recycled or composted. Follow these simple rules to sort your waste properly and contribute to a wasteless community.
Be Risky with Recycling
If it is plastic, metal, glass, paper, or cardboard, throw it in the blue bin. Unsure? Take a responsible risk – Stanford has robots to help!
Scrape out food scraps and dump out liquids first. How clean does it need to be? When you turn it upside down and nothing falls out, it’s ready for the blue bin!
Be Careful with Compost
All food scraps, napkins, paper towels, and packaging labeled “compostable” can be composted. Most campus cafes use compostable serviceware. If it looks like plastic, check for “compostable” on the label and toss it in the green bin!
Landfill as the Last Resort
Items like chip bags, snack wrappers, non-compostable cups, and gloves should be landfilled. Landfill material is not sorted, so only send items here as a last resort.
Waste Sorting Resources
- Search the Waste Wise Guide to get campus sorting and donation questions answered.
- Locate your building’s waste bins.
- Become wise about waste by watching a short video to reduce your waste footprint. Student Video | Faculty & Staff Video
- For project managers: Stanford’s Facilities Design Guidelines outline the campus standards for waste infrastructure and provide guidance for new construction and remodeling to ensure compliance with state laws related to waste management.
- For hazardous waste resources, check out Environmental Health & Safety’s guidance.
Note: Recycling and composting rules vary by city. Find sorting guidance for where you live.
Do Our Recyclables Actually Get Recycled?
Stanford’s recyclables are sent to an award-winning local facility with a material recovery rate of up to 85%.
What Happens to Our Waste?
Explore what happens when waste leaves campus.
Stanford Recognized for Empowering Future Zero Waste Industry Leaders
Stanford received the Outstanding Higher Education Award from the National Recycling Coalition.
Recommended for You
Stanford’s First Major Concert Showcases Environmentally-Conscious Entertainment
Stanford has set a new benchmark for sustainability at live events through its first major concert hosted by Stanford Athletics and Stanford Live. Sustainable Stanford hosted a fireside chat with sustainability leadership from Live Nation and Warner Music Group in tandem with this milestone.
Students Showcase Campus Sustainability Initiatives at Annual Symposium
From reducing embodied carbon in construction to piloting organic landscape management, the annual Student Sustainability Symposium highlighted how student-led innovation is driving sustainability at Stanford.
Empowering Students to Tackle Denim Waste, One Pair of Jeans at a Time
Laura Segura Gonzalez, a second-year design student, is leading jean upcycling workshops to combat fast fashion waste, empowering students to transform old jeans into something new.