Waste
Around campus, any bin that is blue or has a blue rim (such as the outside bins) is for recycling. Plastic bottles/jugs with necks or handles (#1 and #2), glass, paper/cardboard, and metal cans are recyclable. No disposable cups from the Motley or Malott should be recycled.
Most indoor recycling bins have signage to inform the community on what is recyclable. Need a sign? Contact the Office of Sustainability!
Seal Court: Fall 2023 the Sustainability Office and Sustainabiliteam implemented a recycling pilot project to try and improve waste sorting on campus. The bins in Seal Court only take bottles and cans.
All food scraps from the dining all are collected, decontaminated by Waste Reduction Interns, and picked up by community partners to be composted at local community gardens. Compost bins at Malott can be found in the front courtyard, outside the Seal Court entrance, and inside Malott adjacent to the dish return. Signage is posted at each location detailing what is and is not compostable.
Waste Reduction Interns also manage the dorm composting program. Each residence hall’s kitchenette will have a beige, gallon-sized container that will be emptied out regularly. These bins take all the same food scraps as the dining hall. Signage is also posted near every bin.
Used, undamaged batteries can be dropped in battery towers (pictured below) in the following locations, beginning mid-September 2026:
- Student Union
- SCORE Office
- Tiernan Field House
Accepted batteries include Button, AAA, AA, C, D, 9V.
Do not drop swollen, damaged, wet, or leaking batteries as this creates a safety hazard. Click here to view the EPA’s battery recycling decision tree.
Used batteries can also be brought to the Office of Sustainability (Lang 52, basement of Lang, across from IT) and placed in the blue plastic collection tube.
Used ink/toner cartridges (placed back in the box from the new toner) can also be dropped off at Lang 52 for proper recycling.
Clothing: Can be donated to any thrift store, such as ACTS or A Lot of Good. They can also be brought to the Claremont Colleges Queer Resource Center.
Dorm Items: Items you will no longer be using can be donated to Scripps Scrapps in May.
Other items can be donated to the Pitzer Fridge, Walker Book Room, or check out Facebook groups like Claremont Buy Nothing.
