Recycling and waste

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a lightweight, rigid cellular plastic that is usually white and made of pre-expanded polystyrene beads. It is used in packaging for furniture or electronic goods.

The polystyrene is collected by our waste contractor and taken to a processing company, where it is compressed. The compressed product is then used for synthetic timber, CD and video cassette cases, stationery products, plant pots, coat hangers and more.

Store this material until you have enough to justify a trip, and then log a request for collection. You can also store the material at your allocated loading dock, if applicable.

Biodegradable packing peanuts are not recyclable and must be either composted or put in the general waste bins.

Soft plastic includes any plastic that can be easily scrunched into a ball, including:

• plastic shopping bags
• shrink wrap or pallet wrap
• packaging such as biscuit packet wrappers, pasta bags, bread or cereal bags.

If paper labels are smaller than an A5 page, these can be left on the packaging. Small amounts of paper won't affect the recycling process. Larger labels should be removed if possible.

Soft plastic is collected by our waste contractor and delivered to a recycling facility, where it is baled, sent to packaging manufacturers and used to manufacture products such as irrigation piping and mobile garbage bins.

Store this material until you have at least enough to fill one shopping bag or box, and then log a request for collection.

Use our battery recycling service, rather than disposing of them in a bin. Batteries contain dangerous heavy metals that can contaminate soils and waterways if sent to landfill.

To recycle:

• Never place hot or smoking batteries in internal mail or any bin. Call UQ Security on 3365 3333 instead. 
• When batteries are ready for recycling, separate different battery types to reduce risk of fire and explosion.
• Staff should place used batteries for recycling into internal mail by:
  • placing tape over the terminals
  • placing batteries into a clear snap lock bag no more than half full
  • addressing it to: Batteries for recycling, UQ Mailroom

• Minimise the quantity of batteries being stored and collected by sending batteries for recycling more often. For large quantities of batteries or large sized batteries, call the UQ Mailroom to arrange collection.

Batteries are collected by our waste contractor and delivered to a local recycling facility. The recycling facility processes nickel-cadmium batteries, and all other battery types are exported for processing. Materials such as cobalt, lithium, cadmium and nickel are recovered for re-use.

E-waste refers to electronic appliances that are no longer functional or are obsolete, such as:

• televisions
• computers
• photocopiers
• printers.

Log a request to arrange collection. Ensure that:

• all data is erased from equipment,
• toner cartridges are removed from printers.

E-waste is collected by our waste contractor and delivered to a local recycling facility, where it is disassembled into individual components:

• recovered glass, mixed plastic and most metals are sent to manufacturing companies in Australia for processing
• glass from CRT monitors is converted to glass fibre for insulation
• mixed plastic is turned into posts and pallets
• metals are recovered for re-use in Australia
• circuit boards are processed in Korea, where the gold and silver is recovered for re-use.

For items that have any saleable value at end of life, UQ has disposal with a buyback arrangement. Find out more about disposing of IT e-waste.

UQ staff can recycle mobile phone handsets, batteries and accessories through our mobile phone recycling program.

UQ is a member of the national Fluorocycle program. Because mercury can contaminate the groundwater and soil when sent to landfill, we recycle all tubes and lamps that contain mercury, including:

• fluorescent tubes
• high intensity discharge (HID) lamps
• small compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

Fluorescent tubes and lamps are collected by our waste contractor and delivered to a local recycling facility, where the tubes and globes are crushed. The crushed material is then sorted into individual components for resource recovery:

• when mercury-filled phosphor powder is heated, the mercury turns into a vapour which is then condensed to produce pure metal
• aluminium from the tube ends is separated and then re-used in the manufacturing of new products
• phosphor powder is used to manufacture fertiliser products for the agriculture industry
• glass is separated and recycled into glass wool for home insulation.

List unwanted furniture and equipment on Warp It, an online tool that allows UQ staff to swap resources internally. If these items aren't claimed, they are donated to local charities.

Items posted on Warp It can include:

• furniture
• unused stationery
• office supplies or equipment
• printer consumables
• lab equipment.

Broken furniture or items that can’t be re-used should be transferred to the council recycling depot by the UQ removalist contractor.

Using Warp It

To use Warp It, you'll need to register via the Warp It website. Once you have approval from your nominated financial delegate, you'll receive an authorisation email. You can then list items.

Register for Warp It

All items on Warp It are free, but you'll need to organise your own furniture removal. View moving options.

For more information on using Warp It, visit the Warp It website.

To recycle empty cartridges, send them in a sealed container via internal mail to Property and Facilities Central Store, Glasshouse Road, St Lucia campus.

UQ’s used toner and inkjet cartridges are collected by a local recycling company. The cartridges are re-manufactured using the plastic casings of the empty cartridges. Any casings that are not suitable for re-use are then broken down to material type (such as plastic and metal) and recycled to base materials.

Make sure you purchase re-manufactured cartridges for use in your printers.

Animal waste is collected by our waste contractor and taken to a resource recovery centre. From there, it is transferred to an engineered landfill site. The engineered landfill sites generate power using the methane created by the decomposing waste.

Chemical waste is collected by Toxfree and transported to their Narangba facility for processing.

Clinical and cytotoxic waste is collected by Ace Waste and incinerated at the Ace Waste Incineration Facility at Willawong, Brisbane.

Radioactive wastes should be managed by your organisational unit’s Radiation Safety Officer, in liaison with Queensland Health.

Log a job in ARCHIBUS for waste that may require specialised processing.