Help Dr. Recycle Keep MUSC's Recycling Program Healthy
Office of Recycling and Solid Waste Management
Please click on one commodity or scroll down to find out more details about all of the recyclable commodities.
OFFICE PAPER (gray or blue)
Office paper is a valuable commodity for papermills because it contains strong fibers that can be used again. Most has already been bleached, so the papermill won't have to use as much bleach the second time around. Call 792-4119 for a new bin or collection of a full bin.
Acceptable papers include the following:
White or Colored Paper Loose-leaf Paper Manila Folders Typing Paper and Copy Paper
Computer Printouts Adding Machine Tape Account Ledgers Fax Paper Posters NCR Paper Self-Adhesive Notes Paper Folders Mail Including Envelopes w/Windows Slick One Page Ads and Note Cards Non-Acceptable papers include the following:
Candy Wrappers Brown (Kraft) Paper Copy Paper Wrappers Metal or Plastic Wax Paper Magazines or Newspapers Napkins, Handtowels, Toilet Paper Carbon Paper
Acceptable: Unacceptable: Flattened Cardboard Packing material Food waste Trash Wax Cardboard Please flatten all cardboard before you set it out for housekeeping. Housekeeping in most cases will take you cardboard to a recycling bin. Flat cardboard takes up less space and is easier to carry. We have new dumpsters that have slits for the cardboard to fit into. It makes it much easier for the housekeeping staff if the cardboard is flat.
Most cardboard boxes already contain some recycled fiber. Making paper pulp used in cardboard creates sulfur dioxide, a gas that causes acid rain. Recycling cuts that pollution in half.*
NEWSPAPER (gray)
Please recycle newspaper separately from other types of paper. Do not leave plastic or paper bags in the recycling bins.
Recycled newspaper can be made into many things including more newspaper, cardboard, construction paper, insulation, egg cartons, and animal bedding.*
MAGAZINES (gray)
Please recycle magazines separately from other types of paper. Please do not leave plastic or paper bags in the recycling bins.
When the clay coating is removed from 1 ton of glossy paper, there's only a quarter to a half a ton of paper left. *
Phone books are delivered one time a year in August and September. We will recycle the old ones when the new ones are delivered. Look for information concerning this special recycling program. The containers will be set out in convenient locations.
If all our phone books were kept out of landfills, we could save some 2 million cubic yards of landfill space.*
Please call the Earth Clinic 792-4066 if you need to recycle hardback books. We will set up a special collection time with you.
ALUMINUM (blue)
Aluminum cans are recycled for the Aluminum Cans for Burned Children(ACBC) Program. Money earned through this recycling program pays for non-medical items essential to the recovery of pediatric burn patients at MUSC. ACBC funds have also been used to provide emotional healing, acceptance and just plain fun at Camp "Can" Do, a special camp for burned children. In addition, ACBC funds have established and supports fire and burn safety programs throughout the state such as mobile firesafety houses , teaching children how not to get burned. ACBC funds also established and supports the first burn research laboratory in South Carolina; research focuses on the leading cause of death in burn injuries, infection.
How can you help? Easy, put your empty cans in the containers around campus; take your cans from home to your local fire department or deposit them in the can wagon on Sabin St. You can also designate ACBC as the beneficiary of your payroll deductions to the MUSC's YES Campaign , Yearly Employees Support, and the Trident United Way.
Look for this blue bin located throughout the hospital and university. Call 792-4119 to schedule a pick up
The majority of scrap metal recycled at MUSC comes from renovation or new construction projects. The Physical Plant separates metals from other construction debris. Most metal desk, file cabinets, or chairs are reused but when their time comes they can also be recycled. Recycled metals on campus include brass, copper, steel, stainless steel, cast iron and silver.
Enough scrap copper was recycled in the U.S. in 1989 to supply the wiring and plumbing for every building constructed here that year.*
The Grounds Crew works on the campus to keep the grass short and green and the trees and shrubs manicured. The by-product of all this work is grass clippings, tree limbs and shrub cuttings. The Grounds crew uses two special dumpsters located off campus to collect all of their cuttings. These dumpsters are delivered to a local composting facility. Once there, the yardwaste is slowly turned into mulch or compost for resale to homeowners or businesses.
This type of battery has been banned from disposal at landfills or incinerators since May 27, 1992. Call 792-4119 for collection. We have a local recycling company that will recycle them.
The average car battery contains 20 pounds of lead and two pounds of sulfuric acid. Companies called "battery breakers" crack each battery open and drain out the sulfuric acid(which is either reprocessed or sent to a hazardous waste facility). Then the batteries go to a scrap yard. The lead is removed and shipped to a mill, where it's melted down into ingot's. It's sold to manufacturers...and might end up in your new battery. The polypropylene case is also recycled.*
NICKEL CADMIUM BATTERIES(Ni-Cd)
LITHIUM ION BATTERIES(Li-ion)
NICKEL METAL HYDRIDE BATTERIES(Ni-MH)
Call 792-4119 for collection. We have a local recycling company that will recycle them.
The University Occupational Safety and Health Department collects these bulbs from the Physical Plant. A contractor packages the bulbs for shipment to their facility where the glass, mercury, and metals are all recycled.
Radiology technology has been able to help countless people with broken bones and sore backs. Recycling technology has been helping Radiologist reclaim silver from solution and also reclaim plastic and silver from the film.
Plastic Containers Glass Containers Steel Containers Please recycle plastic containers with a
#1 (PET) or
#2 (HDPE) on the bottom or side of the container. Remove and discard lids.Rinsed out unbroken jars and bottles. Remove lids and recycle if they are steel. Rinsed out food and beverage containers. Also aerosol cans and paint cans. Make sure leftover paint is dry before recycling. We have started to collect PGS from the Eye Institute and the Children's Hospital. We will be building this program building by building. There is a Charleston County Recycling bin located on Sabin Street to collect all of this material.
Tin cans are actually 99% steel, with a thin layer of tin added to prevent rusting. It takes about four times as much energy to make steel from virgin ore as it does to make the same steel from scrap.*
Most bottles and jars contain at least 25% recycled glass. Recycling glass saves energy, mining waste, and air pollution.*
PET (#1 plastic) bottles are actually a form of polyester. In case you were wondering, it takes 1,050 recycled HDPE (#2 plastic) bottles to make one six foot plastic park bench.*
MUSC uses oil in its' maintenance operations. This oil is recycled once a year by the Engineering and Facilities Department.
Click here for more information.
*Resource: The Recycler's Handbook, Simple Things You Can Do, The Earth Works Group, Earth Works Press, Berkely, California, 1990.
Education
Patient Care Research
About MUSC MUSC Library News & Events
Find a Person Info Technology Student Resources
Enrollment Services Emergency Info
Career Opportunities
Alumni
MUSC Home Page
MUSC a-z Campus Map Search Site Map Webmaster