Pollution Prevention / Waste Minimization Program

Lab Bottle Recycling

Many commonly used laboratory bottles (glass and plastic) are recyclable.  A bottle must be truly empty before it can be recycled.  To determine if a container is empty, follow EHS’ Empty Container Decision Tree. 

Once you have determined that a bottle is empty and meets the requirements above, it still needs to meet the requirements of Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc. (PSSI).  PSSI’s website describes what is acceptable in the Plastics, Metal, and Glass recycling bin:

http://bgm.stanford.edu/sites/all/lbre-shared/files/bgm/files/shared/file/pssi_pdfs/ZeroWasteFlyer2.pdf

In general, PSSI accepts all plastic containers, metal cans, foil, and scraps, and glass bottles and jars, and milk and juice cartons in the Plastics, Metal, and Glass recycling bins. In this bin they do not accept Styrofoam, plastic bags, and other types of glass (like test tubes, Pyrex). Also note that in the Paper Recycling bin, not only can you put in all paper that tears (as long as it is not contaminated with oil), but also plastic bags, bubblewrap, air pillows, shrink-wrap, and other film plastics.

When recycling laboratory containers or material, please use only the large gray PSSI recycling bins found in the buildings. Please do not use bins in or around eating or office areas as a matter of courtesy. Also, please do not overfill the large bins or leave items around the bins; they are serviced frequently, so if one is full either find another one nearby that isn't or come back when it is not full.

If you have a specific question about what materials may be recyclable from your laboratory, please contact Heather Perry at 3-1308 or hperry@stanford.edu.

Thank you for your interest in laboratory recycling!

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