At McGill, non-hazardous waste is sorted into four streams. See the tabs below for more information on how to sort your waste.鈥�
Compost (brown)
Organic materials go in the brown compost stream. Anything that once a living organism is considered an organic material, including food waste, paper products, and bamboo utensils. Here you can find a list of all the academic buildings with compost on McGill鈥檚 campuses.听
| YES | NO |
|---|---|
| Food waste | Inorganic materials听 |
| Napkins, tissue, and paper towels (must be free of cleaning products)听 | Hazardous household waste (i.e., paper towel soiled with chemical products) |
| Coffee cups marked as compostable听 | Disposable coffee cups which are not marked as compostable听 |
| Soiled cardboard or paper (I.e., pizza boxes and paper plates)听 | Waxed or laminated plastic and cardboard (i.e., plastic-lined cardboard takeout containers)听听听 |
| Tea bags, coffee grounds, and coffee filters听 | 尝颈辩耻颈诲蝉听 |
| Bamboo utensils听 | Plastic marked as compostable, biodegradable, BPI, and/or #7(PLA) |
| Parchment paper听 | Textiles |
| BNQ-certified compostable bag听 | Animal waste听 |
| Flowers and house plants听 | 听 |
Paper听/ cardboard (blue)
Clean and dry paper and cardboard should go into the blue stream.听
| YES | NO |
|---|---|
| Paper | Coffee cups (coffee cups marked as compostable can go in the compost stream, otherwise, they must go in the landfill)听听听 |
| Cardboard (flattened boxes) | Paper products stained with food or grease ex: pizza boxes or paper plates (these should go in the compost stream)听听听听听 |
| Newspaper | Dirty or wet paper products (if the paper is free of cleaning products, it can go in the compost stream, otherwise, it must go in the landfill)听听听 |
| Magazines | 听 |
| Egg cartons and coffee trays听 | 听 |
Plastic, glass, and metal recyclable containers (yellow)
The yellow stream is for mixed recycling: Plastic, glass, and metal. For plastics, look for the Mobius triangle (triangle made up of three arrows) on the bottom to find the number. Before you place an item in the yellow stream, make sure it is听clean and empty听and separate the lids from your containers.
| YES | NO |
|---|---|
| Plastics #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7听 | Plastic with no number (this must go in the landfill)听听听 |
| Metal containers (i.e., cans) | Plastic #6 (this must go in the landfill)听 |
| Aluminum foil (remove as much residual food as possible, then make a ball with the aluminum to contain the soiled part inside)听听听 | Plastic cutlery (this must go in the landfill)听听听 |
| Milk or juice containers (鈥淭etrapack鈥�)听 | Coffee creamers (this must go in the landfill)听听听 |
| Glass containers | Plastic coffee creamers听 |
| Stretchy plastic (i.e., plastic grocery bags, clean Ziploc bags, clean plastic cling wrap)听听听 | Broken and flat glass (this must be wrapped in paper and go in the landfill or be dropped off at your local 脡cocenter)听听听 |
Landfill (black)
The very last option. However, remember that it鈥檚 better to throw something in the landfill than to potentially contaminate a whole bag of well-sorted recycling.听If you cannot empty your container or of if you are not sure how to sort your item, when in doubt, throw it out.听听
| YES | NO |
|---|---|
| Any item that you are not sure about听 | Clean and dry recyclable plastic, glass, and metal听听听 |
| Non-compostable coffee cups听 | Clean and dry paper and cardboard听听听 |
| Styrofoam听 | Organic waste (unless there is no compost stream available)听听听听 |
| Plastic #6 | Hazardous waste (see below)听听 |
| Plastic with no number (i.e., cutlery, coffee creamers) | 听 |
| Recyclable containers covered with food residue | 听 |
| Metallic plastic bags and wrapping (i.e., chip bags and granola bar wrappers)听听听 | 听 |
| Waxed paper听听听 | 听 |
| Non-stretchy plastic bags (i.e., frozen fruit and vegetable bags)听听听 | 听 |
Hazardous Waste
Hazardous Waste Management听(HWM) provides a full hazardous material disposal service to the McGill community at both Macdonald and Downtown Campus. Disposal of waste is free of charge to internal departments, provided the waste is coming from research activities and presented in a proper manner.
| YES | NO |
|---|---|
| Batteries: Battery collection bins can be found in the main areas of major buildings on both campuses, including residences.听 | Contact Hazardous Waste Management for any inquiries听 |
| Electronics: The Macdonald Campus community can bring their old computers at the University Archives before any boxes are shipped or destroyed. For other electronics contact Hazardous Waste Management听 | 听 |