The old adage “waste not, want not” carries an important message: If you use resources wisely, then you will never be in need.

Members of the University of Utah and Salt Lake communities will have their chance to divert resources from the landfill on U Recycle Day, which takes place on Thursday, April 18 from 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. in the south end of the Rice-Eccles Stadium parking lot. People can drop off electronic waste, several hard-to-recycle materials, and personal documents for shredding, as well as donate non-perishable food items to the on-campus Feed U Pantry. Changes in the recycling market will mean fewer opportunities for free recycling collections this year, so don’t miss out. Click here for a list of accepted items.

It’s never good to toss items that can be repurposed or recycled, but electronics are particularly problematic. Devices can contain substances that are toxic, including lead, mercury and flame retardants, according to the Salt Lake County Health Department. Additionally, electronic waste is a useful source of metals, polymers, and other materials, says Michael L. Free, U professor in the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and the deputy node lead for recycling and recovery in the REMADE Institute, a Department of Energy-supported coalition researching and developing technologies for improved recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing.

“If electronic waste is recycled, rather than placed in landfills, it can replace some of the natural resources that would otherwise be needed.  Recycling electronic waste enhances sustainability and reduces our environmental impact by saving natural resources, reducing energy consumption and decreasing pollution from the production of materials we use every day,” Free says. “When we landfill electronic waste, we are missing an opportunity to recover needed resources, and we are leaving waste and associated environmental issues for future generations.”

The annual event, which is hosted by the Sustainability Office, is sponsored by Pepsi Co. Thanks to Pepsi’s support, the event is free and open to the public. Volunteers will be on hand to help unload cars to speed up the process.

U Recycle Day is for residential items only; no business waste. University property should be taken to University Surplus & Salvage or University Archives and Records Management. Partners include Commuter Services, Staff Council, Salt Lake County Health Department, and the Utah Recycling Alliance.

Accepted Items

• Documents for shredding
• Desktop and laptop computers
• Monitors, keyboards and computer mice
• TVs, DVD and VHS players
• Cameras, stereos, speakers, phones and cords
• Printers and copy machines
• Ski and snowboards
• DVDs, CDs and plastic disc cases
• Ink and toner cartridges
• Clean, dry, clear plastic bags
• Non-perishable food