Recycling at UAB

Recycling reduces trash, reuses materials, and even saves energy. UAB’s new green bins make it easy to recycle your aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and paper.

Aluminum Cans: aluminum bins accept all aluminum drink cans - but not soup or other food cans, which are usually steel. Steel cans may be brought to the UAB Recycling Center.

Plastic bottles: plastic bins accept all #1 and #2 plastics - check the bottom of the plastic to see if yours qualifies before putting it in the bin. Please remove any lids and empty any containers

Paper: paper bins accept all forms of paper except stickers/labels and their waxy backings and paper that has touched food or beverages.

Steel: bring empty steel cans to the UAB Recycling Center.

Used oil/grease: bring used cooking oil/grease to the UAB Recycling Center.

The University has partnered with American Recycling of Alabama to recycle paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans. American Recycling of Alabama provides all of the paper recycling containers for the program and UAB has purchased the green plastic and aluminum bins seen pictured with Blaze.

UAB has a Recycling Drop-Off Center at 620 11th Street South, between WBHM and Birmingham Fire Station #2, and placed compactors at the center. You may bring separated materials during the drop-off hours, from 6:30-8:30 AM and 4-6 PM on Mondays. 

UAB picks up recyclables from all participating UAB campus buildings and places them in the compactors at the Recycling Center. American Recycling of Alabama takes the full compactors to their recycling processing facility and sells the material and pays UAB a percentage. If your building does not currently have recycling, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , UAB Recycling Coordinator, to request containers. 

Waste Minimization

UAB has implemented several waste minimization projects recently:

• UAB Printing switched from a solvent-based ink to an aqueous product, reducing the amount of hazardous waste generated from that operation by over 80%.
• Most of the chemical based photo developing processes on campus have converted to digital imaging which has practically eliminated the generation of spent developer and fixing solutions.