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 Temple University's Recycling Initiatives

Recycling Program Description
Battery Recycling
Environmental Health and Safety
Environmental Health and Radiation Safety, the Office of Sustainability and the Computer Recycling Center serve as collection points for recycling rechargeable batteries on campus. Click to learn more about battery recycling.
Chemical Recycling
Environmental Health and Safety
Environmental Health and Radiation Safety minimizes waste through the following items: 1) Chemical Redistribution (the taking of unused and unexpired chemicals and allocating them to other labs); 2) Mercury Exchange (changing out mercury-containing equipment for mercury-free alternatives); 3) Chemical Recycling (certain chemicals can be recycled and reused, saving on the cost of purchasing new chemicals or the disposal of old ones).
Core Material Recycling
Facilities and Residential Life
Temple recycles mixed paper, cardboard, and comingled beverage containers. In 2010, the university captured 1,027.69 tons of core materials. Offices are provided with desk side mixed paper recycling containers. Large hallways and common spaces are equipped with comingled beverage containers and mixed paper containers. Apartments and suites in the residence halls are equipped with individual recycling containers for paper and comingled beverage containers. Click to learn more about what can be recycled at Temple.
Electronic Recycling
Computer Recycling Center
The Computer Recycling Center, an EPA Award Winner, is an assembly line operation in which surplus electronic equipment is evaluated and either refurbished or properly recycled. Refurbished equipment is made available for purchase to current staff, faculty and students via a webstore at http://crc.temple.edu.
Green Graduation

Since January 2010, Temple’s graduation gowns have been made from 100% recycled plastic. Beginning May 2011, students will be able to recycle their gowns after their individual school and college commencement ceremonies. Collection bins will be staffed by student volunteers wearing “Green Team” t-shirts.

Give and Go Green"
Residential Hall Clean Out
Residential Life
Annual year end residence hall clean out and donation drive. Collected clothing, house wares and food are donated to local charities. 
Leaves/Tree Limbs/Brush
Facilities
Temple captures leaves, tree limbs and brush and utilizes it to create mulch. In 2010, 102.76 tons of organic landscaping waste was diverted from the waste stream. 
Office Supply Swap
Computer Recycling Center
The Computer Recycling Center accepts donations of unwanted office supplies and makes them available at no cost to other departments and students on campus through Swap Tables. The CRC was able to rescue multiple pallets of office supplies from the  USB building before it was demolished. 
Outdoor Recycling Program
Facilities
The University has outdoor recycling containers that collected comingled beverage containers.
Pallet Recycling
Facilities
The Recycling Office works with a private individual who collects the empty pallets on campus for reuse. In 2010, the university recycled 138.97 tons of pallets.
Partnership with Better World Books Collection boxes for book donations are located throughout campus. The books are donated to a Better World Books.
Plastic Bag Recycling
Computer Recycling Center
There are six plastic bag recycling collection centers on campus. Click to find locations.
Podiatric Medicine Clinical Equipment Donations The School of Podiatric Medicine makes clinical equipment available to its alumni when the school no longer wishes to retain it. 
Post-consumer Food Waste
Facilities and Residential Life
Post-consumer food waste from Johnson and Hardwick dining hall is collected by Waste Management. 
Printer Cartridges
Fox School of Business
Temple departments recycle their printer cartridges by shipping them back to the company for free using UPS. Also, Fox School of Business operates a collection for printer cartridges on campus. The collection is located in the Paley library and in Alter Hall.
Scrap metal
Facilities
In 2010, the university launched a new recycling initiative aimed at recovering and recycling scrap metal. Approximately 26.41 tons were collected in 2010.
Tyler Glass Recycling
Tyler and Facilities
Tyler, the Office of Facilities Management and New Age Blast Media partnered to collect recycled glass from the Tyler glass blowing studio as a raw material for reuse. 
Umbrella Recycling Collection Student-run collection of broken umbrellas that are donated to a local artist for reuse
Waste Oil Recycling
Sodexo
Sodexo has partnered with Waste Oil Recyclers to take Temple's waste oil and process it for resale as fuel.