Property & Campus Services Environment, Health & Safety

Recycling and Waste Disposal

There are numerous recycling and reuse processes in place at the University. The current systems include:

Battery Recycling

Although it is environmentally preferable to use rechargeable batteries, all batteries have a finite life. When your batteries have run out, instead of throwing them in the bin and sending them to landfill, they can be recycled by sending them via internal mail to the Mail Room, marked Batteries for Recycling. Please ensure they weigh no more than 2kg.

Commingle Recycling

Commingle recycling is the collection system where all recyclable resources (plastics, paper, aluminium, steel etc.) are placed in specially designated bins. Once full, the contents of the bins are transported to VISY Recycling where the different materials are sorted and then recycled.

Commingle recycling bins are located around the grounds of the campus. The bins are made up of two compartments, one of which is for recyclable materials and the other for waste. It is extremely important to correctly dispose of waste in the right compartment to ensure that recyclables are not wasted and that landfill doesn't contaminate recycling streams.

In the compartment for recyclable materials, you can place:

All other materials that do not fit into the above categories should be thrown into the other compartment.

You can create a commingle bin for kitchen areas by acquiring a bin of your choice and affixing a VISY Commingle sticker. For VISY Commingle stickers, please contact: Danielle Rostan-Herbert (on 8344 9275). Make sure to include your name and department details in the email.

Computer Recycling

Departments will have the opportunity to have obsolete computer equipment of which they need to dispose, collected and sent away for recycling. There will be a series of dates throughout the year for when Departments need to advise their Facility Services Contact Zone Leader (formerly "Building Supervisor") that they have PCs for recycling. These dates will be advertised in Staff News.

The process for organising computer equipment to be collected for recycling is as follows:

Step 1

Departments shall contact Local IT Support Area or IT Service Desk for any IT related activities that need to be addressed prior to the computer equipment being recycled

Step 2

Departments shall contact their Facility Services Contact Zone Leader (formerly "Building Supervisor") after any IT related activities have been completed, and prior to the dates advertised in Staff News, to

  • advise the Facility Services Contact Zone Leader of the type, location and quantity of computer equipment to be recycled
  • organize a date and time for when the Facilities Services Contact Zone Leader can collect the equipment

Step 3

Facility Services Contacts shall collect computer equipment for recycling on date and time that was previously organised with departments

Any queries may be directed to the EHS Unit on +613 8344 3050.

Mobile Phone Recycling

Deposit your old mobile phone and associated accessories in the Mobile Muster clear plastic receptacle in the Student Union Building near the lifts.

Note that the following may not be recycled: non-mobile batteries, home phones, pagers, MP3 players, PDAs without phone function, or any other non-mobile phone electronic equipment.

If you are unable to get to the Student Union you can send your mobile phones through internal mail Attn: ‘Mobile Phone Recycling’ Environment, Health & Safety Unit, 2nd Floor, 11-13 Lincoln Square South. Please ensure internal envelopes weigh no more than 2kg.

Overhead Transparency Recycling

The recycling of overhead transparencies is now only available through 3M in the United States of America. Refer to 3M Scheme for details. Overhead transparencies can now only be sent directly to:

3M Recycle Program
Gemark, 99 Stevens Lane
Exeter, Pennsylvania 18643
USA

We recommend that a tray or box is made available somewhere in your department labelled 'transparencies for recycling'. Labels for the front of these boxes, which double as mailing labels, are available at the link below:

Please note that due to this change in policy by 3M, overhead transparencies for recycling will no longer be collected or accepted by the EHS Unit.

Paper/Cardboard Recycling

VISY bins

For several years, a formal recycling system for paper and cardboard has existed across the Parkville campus through VISY Recycling. It comprises the use of small recycling boxes for the office and larger recycling boxes for large, centralised rooms such as printer/photocopier rooms.

These boxes are emptied by cleaners twice per week or when full. Printed on the side of the boxes is a long list of items that can be recycled. The list is given in the table below:

What can I put into a VISY RECYCLING BOX?

NO YES
Foil wrapper Printed & typed reports
Carbon Fax paper
Self carbonated paper Photocopy paper & wrappers
Food scraps Paper Binder dividers
Food Wrappers Bond Stock (letterheads and forms)
Glass Computer Printouts (no carbon)
Plastics Envelopes (even with windows)
Typewriter ribbons Index cards & sheets
Polystyrene Cups Invoices
Sticky Tape Manilla Folders
Adhesive Labels Phone Books
Facial Tissues Writing/Scribbling pads
Paper towels Drawing or Note paper
Thermal Fax paper Cardboard Boxes
Cellophane Newspapers/Magazines
Rubber Bands Brochures

If you require recycling boxes in your office/work area, please contact the Facilities Manager.

One Sided Paper - Non Confidential

There are many options when dealing with one-sided paper. These include:

One-sided Paper - Confidential

Purchasing Recycled-Content Office Paper

Information about recycled-content office paper is available from the Sustainable Purchasing of Office Paper page.

Polystyrene

The EHS Unit is presently running a Polystyrene recycling trial. Collection bags have been distributed to 10 departments who showed interest in joining the trial.

The next stage is to gather feedback on the time it takes for the departments to fill the bags with polystyrene. This information will  enable the EHS Unit to work out a pickup regime with the waste contractors.

For further info, please contact the EHS Unit on +613 8344 3050.

Toner Cartridges - Printer / Fax / Photocopier

Please note: CartCollect has ceased to provide toner cartridge recycling service to the University of Melbourne as of June 2008.

Planet Ark will now provide toner cartridge recycling boxes, with distribution coordinated by the University's stationery supplier Lyreco. Your department's Lyreco account holder/s should contact your Lyreco account manager for details, using the contact details previously supplied. If you don't have this information, or for more information about Lyreco accounts, refer to the University Stationery Store website.

Used-on-one-side lecture/note pads

You can collect clean, used on one side A4 paper in your office to make into recycled lecture or note pads.

The Digital Print Centre kindly offers this service for a small charge to University departments, although it stresses that speedy turnaround should not be expected.

Please note that unfortunately the EHS Unit is no longer able to accept or collect used paper for notepads. Departments can continue to create their own notepads using the procedure advised above.

 

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