What Happens After Collection

Once material is collected on campus, it is distributed to several locations for pickup:

  • Glass, plastic, and aluminum containers are taken to the Mecklenburg County Recycling Facility located about 10 miles away.
  • Paper (including printer paper, cereal boxes, junk mail, and newspaper) and cardboard are collected and taken to Greif Inc. in Charlotte.

After the local recycling facilities receive the material, it is baled and sent to other locations to create new products.  

Below is a map showing where some of the recycled material goes for final processing in the Southeastern USA.

map of the southeastern US showing locations where recycled items at UNC Charlotte go after collection
Map showing locations of facilities that receive materials recycled at UNC Charlotte