Recycling & Sustainability at GSU

What Materials Can Be Recycled?

In the library, our recycling bins are able to take several different types of items. 

The primary bins are labeled and color coded, using Georgia State's Sustainability Initiatives' Multi-Stream system for recycling and waste materials.



Here's a quick visual of what they look like and what items they take! Our bins also have a convenient receptacle for non-recyclable materials and trash.

Plastic Bottles & Aluminum, Steel, and Tin Cans

Paper & Trash/Non-Recyclable Materials 

The library also has recycling bins for small electronics and similar hard-to-recycle materials.

Those bins can take the following items: 

Recycling in the Library

Looking for where to recycle these materials? Throughout the library, there are receptacles like this one. They are often located near the elevators or central areas. 


 

If you are looking for a small electronics recycling bin, there are two located in the Library. One is near the elevator on the second floor of Library North, and the other is located right in front of the Library South entrance.

Those bins look like this:

Recycling the State Way

Georgia State's Sustainability Initiatives' color coding system for recycling and waste materials is uniform across campus.

Often you will see Multi-Stream bins of this design in many campus buildings: 

There are also Single Stream recycling bins which take all recyclables. They look like this: 

There are also Recycling Centers for the residence halls. More information on this can be found on the website for GSU Sustainability. 

Residential Recycling Centers

 

To find more information on all GSU recycling efforts, follow this link: 
 

Recycling The State Way

Hard-to-Recycle Week

Twice a year, GSU Sustainability Initiatives hosts its Hard-to-Recycle Week. This event gives departments the opportunity to recycle items that are typically difficult to dispose of.

Generally, Hard-to-Recycle Week is aligned with two key sustainability observances: America Recycles Day on November 15th and Earth Day on April 22nd.

Through these events, the university strengthens its commitment to environmental conservation and engages the campus community in efforts to reduce waste.

During this event, the following items are taken in by GSU Sustainability: 

For more information on this event, check out Sustainability's page at this link:
 

Hard to Recycle Week

Green Move-In

Every year, during the move-in period of Fall Semester, GSU Sustainability Initiatives sponsors the Green Move-In Recycling event. During this event, they provide temporary recycling stations for collecting cardboard, Styrofoam(R), and plastic film.



During this event, GSU Sustainability also asks for volunteers to aid in processing these materials. In 2022, nearly 250 volunteers took part in the processing of 16,000 pounds of cardboard, 1,500 pounds of packaging foam, and 600 pounds of plastic bags.

For more information on GSU’s Green Move-In and how to volunteer, check out this link:

GSU Green Move-In