binsWith classes back in session, the library literally becomes a second home for many of you as a refuge from the heat. All that note taking, coffee drinking and draft revising produces a good deal of waste. Before you chuck those scraps in the garbage, the library offers many disposal methods that are far more sustainable.

  • Paper recycling – save single-sided jobs for scrap, and when you’re done with double-sided, we have receptacles on every floor by the stairs and in the print rooms; don’t forget about cardboard!
  • Comingled recycling – use these bins for most everything besides paper, including hard plastics, glass, and metal
  • Composting – these containers are for all food waste, and you can even throw in paper plates and cups, napkins, towels, and tissues. Did you know that all food and drink containers across campus (including Daily Grind cafe in Brody Learning commons) are compostable?
  • Battery recycling – located in the copy/print room on M-level of MSEL (pictured) and in the copy/print room in Brody Learning Commons. This is a safer way to dispose of your AAs, AAAs, Cs and Ds
  • Pen recycling – in the same locations, you can deposit any writing implement – pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters

batteries_pensWe’re especially pleased with the last two programs, which are the newest to our recycling suite. You might rightly wonder, “How can you recycle pens or markers?” The JHU Office of Sustainability connected us with a company that actually upcycles many items that would otherwise be landfill bound into useful consumer products like benches and purses. How cool!

Besides disposing of your waste in more responsible ways, how can you further support these so-called cradle to cradle products? As you begin holiday shopping, consider supporting local, independent businesses that carry such merchandise. Just think twice before reaching for that roll of wrapping paper!

But first things first, that final paper isn’t going to write itself. If you have a question about recycling or anything else, you know who to ask


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