Think before you trash it !
Reducing the volume of trash we generate on campus is in everyone’s hands. The decision to put an item in a recycling bin or in a trash bin is a critical moment. Those small daily decisions can make a big difference in boosting our recycling rates and reducing the amount of our trash that ends up incinerated or in a landfill.
To help focus attention on that choice, and to encourage more recycling, UMass Chan is rolling out a campus-wide centralized trash collection program for offices and workstations.
A small trash bin will be provided for each workspace and individuals will take responsibility for bringing their trash to nearby central locations located throughout their floor. The Environmental Building Services (EBS) team will no longer collect trash from individual offices or workstations.
All offices and workstations will continue to have small deskside recycling bins, which will be emptied by EBS daily. People who work in those spaces will need to leave these bins outside of their office for collection.
Laboratories are not affected. Trash and recycling processes there will remain as is.
Centralized trash programs have proven successful in increasing recycling rates, which is important for us to meet UMass Chan’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan goals and complying with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Waste Ban.
Find the central trash bins near you, marked in green, on these floor plans:
Albert Sherman Center Lazare Research Building Medical School Building
Please contact the UMass Chan Operations Console at Ext. 6-3292 if the central trash receptacles on your floor need to be serviced. If you have any other questions contact Sustainability@umassmed.edu
Register here for informational meetings about the centralized trash program.
Recycling
Reducing our overall waste stream by recycling is a major goal of our sustainability program. Our program is single-stream, meaning all recyclables can go in the same bin. Common recycleable categories include: clean non-HIPAA paper & cardboard, rigid plastics #1 – 7, glass & metal containers. Trash items include: styrofoam, flexible plastics, snack bags & wrappers, soiled paper, cardboard and food waste.
Download signs for your use:
Recycle for offices Recycle for labs
Recyle for cafeterias Recycle for clinical areas
Common trash
Other items we recycle
Ink cartridges: recycle ink and toner cartridges in one of three ways: 1) return by mail using manufacture supplied shipping label, 2) return to Office Max delivery personnel, 3) deposit in ink and toner recycling bin located on the trash docks.
Electronics: Computers, monitors, appliances, medical and research equipment can be recycled by depositing items in the carboard bin on the main school/hospital trash dock.
Special note on batteries: Alkaline batteries are not to be recycled and can be deposited in the regular trash. At this time, rechargeable (i.e. lead, cadmium, mercury) batteries should not be deposited in the trash or recycling bins on campus. Please contact Sustainability@umassmed.edu for guidance on where to dispose of these safely.
Surplus Items for Reuse or Donation
UMass Chan supports departments in surplus management and donations of fully functioning items. Electronics, office equipment, and lab equipment that have been fully and properly decommissioned with IT, retired with Asset Management, and decontaminated per EH&S Protocol, as needed, can be donated to UMass Chan’s surplus partners. If you have an item potentially suitable for donation, please email Sustainability@umassmed.edu for assistance.
