This summer, look for a new fixture in your office — a blue recycling bin with its sidekick waste mini-bin.

The bins are the next step in an ongoing effort to improve recycling rates on campus. Since 2021, faculty, staff and students have been contributing to the effort by emptying their own office bins in common area collection points.

“Asking people to sort their waste and recycling materials increases awareness of how much recyclable materials they actually put in the waste stream,” said Tom Flood, associate vice president, Facilities Services and Campus Planning.

In the past 12 months, UD has diverted 395 tons of recyclable materials from the waste stream — a 3% increase from the prior year.

But there’s room for improvement. Deskside recycling systems like that being introduced this summer have shown an up to 20% increase in diverted waste.

Along with the bins, FSCP will provide updated information on what can be recycled and best practices.

UD and Delaware use a single stream recycling process. All recyclable materials can be co-mingled.

“However, when people add things that cannot be recycled it contaminates the recyclables and it can’t be saved,” said Flood. “Proper sorting is important and these bins, along with educational efforts, will improve the amount and quality of recycled materials.”

Learn more about what can be recycled in Delaware.