For a list of items accepted university-wide, visit the UAB Recycling.
Only non-biohazardous and non-radioactive items are able to be recycled. All EH&S guidelines must be followed. For any questions about what is and is not biohazardous or radioactive please contact Environmental Health & Safety.
The following items are accepted from labs participating in the UAB Green Labs Program. If you are not part of the UAB Green Labs Program, you can join for free by emailing greenlabs@uab.edu.
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#1 & #2 Non-Bottles
- The #1 & #2 non-bottle plastics are collected by UAB Green Labs and transported to the Albertville-Boaz Recycling Center.
- The recycling center processes them and distributes the plastics to vendors that use #1 & #2 plastic.
- Place #1 & #2 non-bottle plastic in a cardboard box.
- For plastic bottle recycling, use UAB Recycling bins located throughout campus.
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#4 Plastic Bags
- Make sure to deflate any air bags to reduce how much space they take up.
- Place all #4 plastic bags in a cardboard box together.
- Bags must be clean and have '#4' on them to be recycled.
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#5 Plastics/Pipette Tip Boxes
- Pipette tip boxes are one of the largest streams of waste in labs on UAB’s campus. The pipette tip boxes are composed of a #5 plastic, a material which is not disposable in the plastic receptacles found throughout UAB’s campus. Due to the quality and abundance of this plastic, many researchers have shown a strong desire to recycle these boxes.
- Consider purchasing pipette tip refills for your boxes.
- Place pipette tip boxes and their inserts along with any other #5 plastic into a cardboard box.
- Autoclave all pipette tip boxes that the lab intends to recycle to eliminate any chances of contaminants coming in contact.
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Polystyrene (Styrofoam)
- Polystyrene, generally referred to by the name-brand Styrofoam, is the main pollutant in American oceans and waterways. Polystyrene is also the primary source of urban litter in American cities.
- Due to the environmental impact polystyrene has on the environment and on ecosystems around the world, UAB has partnered with the Albertville-Boaz Recycling Center to implement a polystyrene recycling stream.
- Polystyrene must be clean with all the tape removed.
- Only white polystyrene is accepted.
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Aluminum Foil
- The aluminum foil is collected by UAB Green Labs and transported to a center for scrap metal.
- Aluminum foil must be clean and free of all tape.
- If the aluminum foil is brittle and falling apart, it cannot be accepted.
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Unbroken Glass
- Glass is one of the most utilized pieces of equipment in laboratories. Glass can be stored indefinitely and often occupies cabinet and bench space. Although reusable, a lot of glass is housed with no plans of disposal.
- Glass must be unbroken. There cannot be chips, cracks, or any damage to the glassware.
- Glass must be triple rinsed before submitting a recycling pick-up request.
- Labs can donate or receive unbroken, used glassware for free. To request or donate glass email greenlabs@uab.edu.
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Ice Packs
- Ice packs can be one of the largest waste streams generated in a lab that utilizes cold storage. Ice packs can also take up precious space in cold storage units.
- We encourage researchers to reuse an ice pack until it is no longer effective.
- Place ice packs in a polysteyrene cooler. Polystyrene cooler must be less than 20 pounds in order for it to be picked up!