Lab Efforts | Waste

Recycling and Compost

CU Green Labs diverts the following hard-to-recycle materialsÌýfrom the landfill in research labs across campus.

Lab Brown Glass

It is essential for labs to follow the brown glass recycling rules on the signage at the right to ensure we can keep this recycling opportunity. The rules are similar to those for lab metal container recycling.ÌýDo notÌýplace lab brown glass in regular container recycling receptacles around campus. They are a contaminant.

Lab Brown Glass

Lab Brown Glass Collection Locations:

  • Cristol Chemistry (toters located in basement)
  • Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building (toters at caged loading dock)
  • LASP (toter on loading dock)
  • Satellite collection areas at:
    • SEEC loading dock
    • MCDB Stores in the Gold Building​
    • JILA loading dock

Where does it go?

→ Our lab brown glass is recycled by a local companyÌýÌýand processed primarily into new glass bottles.

#6 White Block Foam

#6 block foam

Only #6 expanded polystyrene (EPS) can be recycled through CU Green Labs. To test for the correct kind of foam, try pulling a few beads off the foam with your finger. If you can, and the foam is white (not black or grey), then you can recycle it. If you can't peel beads off with your finger, it is a different type of plastic foam and must go in landfill dumpsters. Please remove all tape and labels from the foam before placing it in the recycling carts.

White Block Foam Collection Carts are Available at:

  • Gold/Porter building junction in NE corner,Ìýon the basement "B" level.
  • Muenzinger lobby just off Colorado Ave.
  • Muenzinger D00 level right outside elevator.
  • Ramaley 1st floor, east side of building near the teaching labs.
  • Cristol near Chem stores.
  • JILA 2nd floor main hallway.
  • JILA basement in the X wing.
  • RL4 on East Campus.
  • Wilderness Place near the loading dock on 1st floor.
  • JSCBB on each floor of the building.
  • SEEC/MacAllister loading dock (C184).
  • SEEL in the Recycling Rooms on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors (Rooms 196, 289, 389).
  • USGS (RL6) near loading dock.

Where does it go?Ìý

→ÌýFrom Eco-Cycle, it becomes interior paint-grade architectural molding, such as baseboard.

Ìý

#5 White Pippette Tip Boxes

Pippette

Pipette tip box collection containers are available at:

  • Gold (floors 1-4 on north side by Gold/Porter intersection).
  • Outside the Gold/Muenzinger buildings along Colorado Avenue, in the caged recycling area.
  • Ramaley 1st floor near the foam recycling.
  • Cristol Chemistry 2nd floor.
  • CIRES 2nd floor near the Fierer Lab.
  • JSCBB on all floors.
  • RL4 outside on the dock.
  • SEEL in the Recycling Rooms on 2nd and 3rd floors.

Where Does it Go?Ìý

→ From Eco-Cycle, it is pelletized locally to be sold as recycled polypropylene on the open market.

#4 LDPE & #2 HDPE Plastic Bags and Film

Plastic bags and film

Plastic film collection containers located at:

  • GoldÌý(near A212, near A412, & outside MCDB Stores).
  • Porter (by the elevators on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors).
  • JILA (in the basement under the spiral staircase).
  • Carlson (outside room 111).
  • Ramaley (at the foam recycling location on the 1st floor, also outside N368).
  • Muenzinger (near foam recycling in the lobby on the 1st floor, outside D244A, on the D0 level near the elevator).
  • Cristol (basement, 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor, and inside ChemStores).
  • Ekeley (in the 3rd floor M wing by M366).
  • CIRES (outside E256).
  • Benson (3rd floor and end of hallway by room 325/stairwell).
  • RL4 (outside on dock).
  • RL6/USGS (near loading dock).
  • JSCBB (on every floor in almost every lab hallway (A, B, C, and D wings, all floors).
  • SEEC (at loading dock, C184).
  • SEEL (in Recycling Rooms on all 3 floors).

Where Does it Go?

→ From Eco-Cycle, it becomes filler for composite decking.

Metal Lab Containers

Metal lab

Lab metal recycling containers can be found at:

  • JSCBB caged loading dock (basement).
  • Cristol Chemistry in the basement.
  • SEEC loading dock, in outside dumpster for scrap metal.
  • SEEL Recycling Room on 1st floor (Rm 196).

Where Does it Go?

→ It is sent to a large metal recycling yard in Englewood, CO, where it is ground up and separated from non-metal materials. Then, it is sent to a refiner and on to a smelter.