The Northeastern University Recycling Program has grown immensely since its inception in 1989. The addition of new academic and residential buildings has introduced more solid waste and recyclable material into the waste stream. Northeastern’s strive toward the top 100 and the resulting growth of the research programs and the employee force has added tons of electronic recycling into the program.

The Recycling Department operates with four full time employees and several student workers. The department is responsible for the yearly disposal of 5,000 tons of trash and recyclable materials generated from all of the university’s campuses. Last year, the university recycled 375.5 tons of paper, 200 tons of corrugated cardboard, 20 tons of bottles and cans, 65 tons of computers and electronic material, as well as light bulbs, ballasts, batteries, toner cartridges, metal, food waste, cooking oil and a host of assorted building debris. Computer tonnage alone has grown 150% in the last two years. Currently, Northeastern recycles at close to 30%, while the city of Boston recycles at 13%. This says a great deal about the efficiency of the program.

We work closely with other facility departments to ensure proper disposal procedures and we work with other university departments to properly comply with all governmental regulations. The program has strong relations with student groups in an attempt to keep all of our community involved.

The combined efforts of students, faculty and staff have produced a program which is the model for many other universities and institutions. Our program continues to expand thanks to everyone’s efforts.

Northeastern University Recycling has three objectives:
1. Preserve the environment
2. Reduce the cost of waste disposal.
3. Keep the design of the program simple and convenient to maintain university wide commitment.

Recycling links:

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