Recyclable Materials

• Mixed Office Paper
• Aluminum Beverage Cans
• Rigid Plastic Bottles & Containers
• Corrugated Cardboard

*Please note that all of these materials are not collected in every building. Check the stickers and signage on the bins in your building to see which materials are collected. Recyclables are separated by type, which allows Georgia Tech to bring a cleaner, more valuable product to our vendors.

Indoor Recycling Bins

Each employee is responsible for emptying his/her desk-side bin into the appropriate recycling containers in the building as part of the AWARE Program.

Communal bins in hallways and breakrooms are serviced on routes determined by building occupancy. 

Shredding Program Pickup

If you would like to request a pickup of sensitive materials to be shredded, fill out the Pickup Request Form to receive a locked bin. 

Temporary Containers

You can request temporary recycling containers for office clean outs or other occasions when your building or department will be generating an excess amount of recyclable material. Use the Temporary Container Request Form to schedule a temporary container delivery.

Toner Cartridge Recycling

Staples will recycle ink and toner cartridges, regardless of brand, at no cost. Download the Ink and Toner Recycling Program Guide.

AWARE Program

The AWARE Program (Actively Working to Achieve Resource Efficiency) is an innovative waste minimization program that has been implemented in all campus buildings.

Recycling Centers

Materials accepted: Mixed Office Paper, Corrugated Cardboard, Aluminum Cans, Plastic Bottles & Containers (#1-7), Clear Glass, Green Glass, and Brown Glass. Click here to view the map.

• Greek Neighborhood Association (GNA) Recycling Center #1- Located in the alley between FIJI & ZTA  
• GNA Recycling Center #2- Located behind Sigma Nu
• East Campus Main Drop-Off Site - Located at the corner of 6th Street and Techwood Drive, next to the Wreck Lot

Cardboard

Cardboard can be placed in the plastic tilt carts located beside the dumpsters, however, it MUST be broken down flat. Remove any plastic liners. Georgia Tech recycling crew services these containers and delivers to our recycling partners, please contact our office and not the hauler with issues. 

Dumpsters

Click here to view the map.

• Bagged household and bagged yard waste ONLY
• NO cardboard, couches, chairs, tables, desks, bed frames, mattresses, carpet, car parts, construction materials, tree branches, dirt, sand, or hot coals
• Do NOT leave bags on the ground. All waste must be placed into the dumpster to be serviced.
• Dumpster Assignments and Service Days
• Report an issue with a dumpster: Dumpster Issue Reporting Form

Pest Control

Submit pest control requests with the Pest or Animal Control form.

Refrigerators

The Office of Solid Waste Management & Recycling will pick up household mini fridges for $45.00 and full-sized refrigerators for $50.00. NO commercial refrigerators. The refrigerator must be EMPTY. Fill out the Refrigerator Pick-Up Request Form to schedule a pick-up. DO NOT place a refrigerator inside or beside a dumpster. Fill out the pick-up request form here.

Bulk Waste

• Temporary roll-offs: Temporary roll-offs will be available monthly throughout the semester.  View this map for locations.
• Roll-offs should never be filled past the top of the container edge.
• Order a temporary roll-off: To order a temporary roll-off for an organization's exclusive use, submit the Temporary Container Order Form. The organization is responsible for contacting Parking if any parking spaces are going to be used in the placement of the container. The organization ordering will be charged $135.86 per dump plus $50.13 per ton of material in the container.
• Accepted items: furniture, carpet, mattresses, dirt, tree branches (maximum 4 ft.), sand, construction materials, and other bulky items
• NEVER place the following items in a roll-off: electronics, metal, refrigerators, used oil, flammables, fluorescent tubes, paint/solvents, propane tanks, car batteries.

Special Events

      Homecoming

• Wreck vehicles: Before Homecoming all of the vehicles in the wreck lot must be removed. Any vehicles left in the lot will be disposed of at the IFC’s expense. After the Wreck parade all vehicles must be returned to the lot within 48 hrs.
• Float debris: After homecoming temporary roll off containers will be brought on campus for the disposal of the Greek community's float debris.

      Student Move-In and Move-Out

• At the beginning of Fall semester and the end of Spring semester temporary roll off containers will be placed in the Greek community for the disposal of bulky items, such as furniture, carpet, mattresses, dirt, tree branches (maximum 4 ft.), sand, and construction materials.

Dumpster Assignments

Important Contacts

• Office of Solid Waste Management & Recycling: 404-385-0088 or recycle@gatech.edu
• Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life: (404) 894-2002
• Environmental Health & Safety (hazardous waste): 404-385-0821 or ehs@gatech.edu
• Animal Control (dead animal removal): 404-355-8387

Sites

Outdoor recycling sites are located at Stinger stops and along pedestrian walkways throughout campus.

• Rigid Plastic Bottles & Containers 
• Aluminum Beverage Cans
• Mixed Office Paper

East Campus Main Drop-Off Site

The East Campus Main Drop-Off Site is located at the intersection of Sixth Street and Techwood Drive, adjacent to the O'Keefe Building. Click here for a map.

• Rigid Plastic Bottles and Containers
• Aluminum Beverage Cans
• Mixed Office Paper
• Corrugated Cardboard
• Clear, Green and Brown Glass (Bottles and Jars Only)
• Clothing and household textiles (such as blankets, sheets, and towels)

Recycling on Game Day at Bobby Dodd Stadium

Football games bring thousands of fans onto campus and generate tons of trash. Since 2008, Georgia Tech's Game Day Recycling program makes it convenient for fans to recycle, whether they are tailgating, walking through the campus, or inside the Stadium watching the game. The success of the Game Day Recycling program hinges on the active participation of everyone attending home football games.

If you are tailgating before the game, simply place your recyclables in the blue bags, which are given out at all tailgate sites. Leave the bags on the ground and they will be picked up by Georgia Tech staff members. Also, make sure to use the recycling bins that are set up in and around Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Download the Green Tailgating Guide for more information.

Composting at Georgia Tech

In October of 2017, Georgia Tech began testing compostable materials collection infrastructure in the Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB) via a pilot project. Though the pilot wrapped up gathering data for the Living Building challenge, it remains in EBB as a permanent component of its waste diversion program. 

In addition to fulfilling many other green standards, the Living Building or The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, must achieve net-zero waste, which includes diverting as much organic waste from landfills as possible. Organic materials collection in publicly accessible areas exists in the West Village dining facility and The Kendeda Building. Materials collected from EBB during the pilot were hauled off to composting sites, avoiding the alternative of consigning them to landfills. It's hoped that infrastructure created through this project will forge a path for future sustainability improvements not only at Georgia Tech, but at campuses worldwide.

What is composting and why is it important?

Composting, in short, is the act of creating a fertilizer by letting organic materials such as food scraps, paper, and yard trimmings decompose into carbon and nitrogen, creating a closed nutrient loop.

Many people compost as a cheap yet effective way to enrich their personal gardens, but there is an even greater reason to partake in the process: sustainability. If left in a landfill's oxygen deprived environment, compostable materials decompose into methane, a greenhouse gas, rather than into soil nutrients.

What's compostable?

• Food and food scraps

• Napkins

• BPI Certified plastics and packaging

• Cardboard that has touched food (pizza boxes, etc.)

• Plants and grass clippings

• Soiled or clean paper products and newspaper

• Paper towels

• Dryer lint

• Paper-based take-out containers

• Wooden coffee stirs

Program updates

• All Housing dumpster sites

• Compostable products used with GT Catering and retail food locations