Recycling, Compost & Waste
Using SF State's 3-bins Recycling, Compost and Landfill
Most waste items can be disposed of in our blue recycling, green compost, and black garbage bins. To find out which bin to use, visit recology.com/recology-san-francisco/what-bin/.
Special waste items
The items below have special disposal instructions at SF State.
Residential students may drop used batteries at the front desks of each Residence Hall.
If you live in a house or apartment in San Francisco, you can place batteries in a clear plastic bag on top of your blue recycling bin.
Staff and Faculty should contact their Building Coordinators to find out where they can drop off batteries. Please contact Environmental Health & Safety at (415) 338-2565 with any questions or to set up a new collection site.
Batteries accepted: A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, nickel zinc, lithium ion, small sealed lead batteries, rechargeable batteries and batteries from the following electronic devices: two way radios, cell phones, cordless phones, laptop computers, portable power tools, hand held scanners, field monitoring/research equipment, exit signage, backup batteries (UPS), emergency lighting, instrumentation, medical equipment, security/fire alarm systems.
Sensitive and/or Confidential Documents are handled by department through an off campus vendor. A specific container from CityWide Fibers should be provided by your department. Please don't shred paper, as this is not a safe disposal method for confidential documents and can't be recycled easily.
Dispose of your old campus electronics - including computers, monitors, TVs, printers, and miscellaneous items - on Electronic Waste Disposal Days, which annually occurs in May.
Please contact Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) at (415) 338-2565 or via email at sfehs@sfsu.edu for questions or to schedule a drop off.
SF State does not collect personal e-waste items. To dispose of e-waste items at home, please visit Recology's e-waste website if you live in San Francisco or your local waste hauling company.
Please contact Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) at (415) 338-2565 or via email at sfehs@sfsu.edu for hazardous waste guidelines. Hazardous waste includes such items as cleaning supplies, automotive parts, oils, and paint.
Keys made on campus can be sent to Work Control in Facilities for recycling or reuse.
Fluorescent tubes are collected by Custodial staff to be disposed of properly.
Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) should be dropped off at the Corporation Yard's electrical shop. If you have a boxful or more, contact the Facilities Work Control desk at 81568 to request pick-up.
To recycle scrap metal or large amounts of wood contact Facilities at (415) 338-1568 or submit a service request.
Refrigerators and freezers have components that can be hazardous or toxic. Please contact Facilities at (415) 338-1568 for assistance with properly disposing of these items. Residential students may contact the Housing office for information on disposing of unwanted refrigerators.
Printer ink toner cartridges can be recycled in a Xerox Eco box as part of SF State's managed print program. Any type of toner is accepted. Bring toner to boxes located at Corporation Yard 144, Humanities 125, Library bottom floor, and Hensill/Thornton loading dock.
Green waste is collected by Grounds Staff. It is then picked up by Recology as part of their composting program.
For large pickups or special arrangements, contact Facilities at (415) 338-1568 or submit a service request at facilities.sfsu.edu.
If you are going to host a special event on campus that is going to generate waste or recyclable material please contact us at sustain@sfsu.edu. We can help you create a zero waste event.