Recycling and Composting

Contracts for recycling, waste, and compost collection on campus are coordinated by Facilities Management and collected from outdoor and central indoor bins.

Please note: Hazardous waste management is coordinated by Health, Safety and Environment (HSE). See hazardous waste management for more information or to request a disposal. 

Recycling

Recycling is collected multiple times per week from designated recycling stations in central areas. Members of the Okanagan community are responsible for collecting recyclable material in their area and taking it to a central recycling station.

When recycling boxes from large shipments, please break down the boxes, discard packing materials, and submit a facilities work order to collect the flattened cardboard.

Visit Recyclepedia for an A-Z guide of what can be recycled on campus.

Lab recycling

Clean glass is recycled through the Hazardous Waste Inventory System.

Lab plastics are recycled through the Lab Plastics Recycling program.

Confidential Shredding

The UBC recycling program does not include confidential shredding. To arrange confidential shredding for your department on a one-time or recurring basis, contact Shred-it.

Waste Collection

Wastebaskets in campus building foyers, hallways, and common areas are emptied on a daily basis. This does not include the small wastebaskets provided at individual workstations. Staff and faculty are asked to empty their individual wastebaskets into a common-area wastebasket for disposal.

Please dispose of food waste in compost bins or central trash areas. Disposal of food waste in private offices is not recommended for hygiene and pest control reasons.

If you have any questions about the collection of recycling or waste materials on campus, please contact Jamie Armer.

Small e-Waste Disposal

Electronic waste or e-waste includes any electronic items that are old, broken, or obsolete. At UBCO, HSE facilitates the recycling of e-waste including:

• Small e-waste (smartwatches, earbuds, adapters, and cords)
• Batteries under 5kg (excluding car and boat batteries)
• Cell phones

E-waste can be placed in the e-waste bins located in all public buildings on campus.

Cell Phone Donations

HSE works with CNIB Phone it Forward to donate phones that can be refurbished and given to those in need. To determine if your phone is eligible for donation, fill out this online form and select “Compute Phone Value.”

If your phone is obsolete (not listed on the form) or irreparably damaged, it is not eligible for donation. These phones can be disposed of in any e-waste bin on campus.

Please remove any personal information or accounts and complete a factory reset prior to donating or disposing of your phone. 

Composting

Bright yellow compost bins are available in campus eateries and in the main foyers of each building for organic and compostable material. Smaller bins are also placed in the collegia and in staff lunch rooms across campus. Collection is completed three times per week by Facilities Management.

Acceptable material for composting

• Vegetable prep waste
• Napkins and absorbent paper products
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea leaves and tea bags
• Egg shells
• Meat and meat trimmings
• Fish and fish bones
• Dairy products, e.g. butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt, cheese products
• Whole oranges, melons, and other soft fruits
• Wax paper, i.e. pizza box liners
• Containers stamped “Compostable”
• Wooden utensils and chopsticks

Plastic products, such as bags, containers and utensils not stamped compostable, are not accepted. For more information on sorting compost and other waste, visit the Sustainability website.

What happens to composted materials at UBC?

The collected material is delivered to Spa Hills Farm, a compost facility in Salmon Arm, B.C. where it is converted into garden-ready compost. The final compost product is delivered back to campus twice per year and is used to enrich the soil in plant beds around campus.