Paper and Cardboard

Paper and cardboard recycling is coordinated by UT Facilities Services and is provided as a service for the entire campus.

What can I recycle?

The basic guideline is anything that tears. That means newspapers, office paper, magazines, and cardboard. You don't have to worry about removing staples, paper clips, or envelope windows. However, we cannot accept anything contaminated with food or drink (like pizza boxes or fast food wrappers) or any waxed paper, like paper cups.

Does my stuff really get recycled?

Yes! There are statistics on the the Facilities Services webpage; UT recycles more than 1,500 TONS of paper a year - that's almost 40% of our waste! You may see your custodial staff putting both trash and recycling bags in the same rolling container; this is not a problem because the bags are color-coded and are separated out later when placed in the loading dock for pickup. Trash is put in black bags, and recycling is in clear bags, making it easy to distinguish between the two.

If you do see trash and recycling being mixed into the same black bag, please email us at Recycling@UTenvironment.org and we will work to address the issue.

What if I need bins?

You can order additional recycling bins at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/pp/bbreq.WBX. These are free to UT departments.

Here's a cool tip:

If you have extra paper that only has a single line of text printed on it, but you don't need it (or just "page 6 of 6", but there's nothing on it), you can send those pieces of paper by campus mail to the UT Child Development Center. They use the paper to let kids draw and cut out shapes.

The Addresses Are:

Comal Child Development Center
2205 Comal Street
Austin, Texas 78722
Campus Code: E5000

San Jacinto Child Development Center
1 University Station D3200
Austin, Texas 78712
Campus Mail Code: D3200

For other questions, contact the UT recycling program at 471-8438.