Special red dumpsters have been placed in two locations on campus for phonebook recycling. As well as phonebooks, almost any softcover books with newsprint or white pages will be accepted, including course catalogues, magazines, paperback books, bound MIT reports, MIT Press catalogues. Manila folders and file folders (with metal supports removed) can also be recycled.
Materials may not have metal such as paperclips or file-folder supports, although staples are acceptable. Hardcover books and items in plastic bags are prohibited; paper bags or cardboard boxes are the only acceptable containers.
The temporary dumpsters are located in the Sloan lot by Building E52 and between Buildings 13 and 11. Permanent drop-off locations are in Rm E19-006 and Rm 56-086.
The new recycling coordinator, Michael Smith, also reminds the MIT community that cardboard boxes left out for recycling pickup must be flattened first. (To find out which buildings have cardboard recycling, contact Mr. Smith.) Flattening the boxes prevents contaminants such as packing material and trash from getting into the recycling and saves space in the recycling room.
Questions, comments or suggestions about recycling should be addressed to Mr. Smith at x3-6360 or recycling@mit.edu.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on November 18, 1998.
