Recycling Shredding Event

Tuesday, April 24th from 10am – 6pm, and

Wednesday, April 25th from 6am – 2pm

Many of you asked for greater flexibility for this event and LiveGreen listened!  We will continue to hold it over 2 days to make it easier for you to come, and have increased the hours around lunch time to make it easier for you.  Please note, we’ll be collecting at different times each day to allow different shifts to drop off items.  Have more items that you can fit in you car?  You can swing by both days!

Unfortunately we are not able to host this event at any other locations.  ANY Nebraska Medicine, UNMC, or UNO student or colleague is invited to drop items off (valid I.D. required).  If you are located off site and want to combine a trip with a fellow colleague that would be great!

Bring your personal electronics for recycling and documents for shredding.  This is our top requested event, and this year we are collecting even more items!  In addition to personal electronics and personal documents to shred, we will take personal alkaline/single use batteries for recycling as well as “techno-trash” (CDs, discs, VHS tapes).  We will also collect eyeglasses to be given to patients at free clinics and pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House.  Please read below for costs and ‘rules’.

Reusing is the best alternative! 

If your electronics still work, please consider donating them rather than bringing them to us.  Goodwill accepts most electronics, Habitat for Humanity ReStore accepts appliances, and the Salvation Army , Open Door Mission, and/or Paralyzed Veterans of America will  accept most items.  Click on the charity for more information.  Most of these groups will come to your house and pick items up for free, and will accept items we won’t, such as clothing.  Victim services need cellphones for emergency situations, and the Women’s Center for Advancement uses them to help women.  The Henry Doorly Zoo collects cellphones to raise money for The Orangutan Conservancy.

Some charities and thrift stores will accept VHS tapes, if they were originally a purchased item.

 

If your item is broken or not eligible for a charity, please bring it to us.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who: All Nebraska Medicine, UNMC, and UNO faculty, staff, and students are invited to this event.  UNO/Med Center I.D. Badge required. This event is not open to the public.

What: Bring  household confidential documents to be shredded, & electronic equipment, single use/alkaline batteries, and techno-trash for recycling.  Pop tabs and eyeglasses can be dropped off as well.

When:Tuesday, April 24th from 10am – 6pm AND Wednesday, April 25th from 6am – 2pm

Where: UNMC Grounds Building (annex 23) in Lot 17, 4650 Jones Street.  Enter by turning north onto 45^th from Leavenworth Street.  Follow signs northwest to Grounds Building.  Enter drive through building on South side, exit to North, and onto Saddle Creek Rd.  Click here to see a map.

 

 

Paper: Any grade of paper that needs to be shredded prior to recycling.  Staples are OK, as are plastic windows in envelopes.  All paper needs to be brought in paper bag for easy drop-off.  If paper is delivered in boxes, plastic bags, or an item you want back (tote) you will be required to help transfer the items to the container as we have to remove the paper from boxes and plastic bags prior to placing them in a bin.  Containers with a mix of items (materials other than paper) will not be accepted.  Paper is not shredded on site, but is secured and shredded in the same format approved on both the UNO and Medical Center campus.

Electronics: Anything that has a plug, circuit board, or runs on batteries.  Some items have a fee associated with them to offset the cost of recycling the hazardous materials they contain,  thus require special handling procedures.  Hard drives will be physically shredded, off campus, and this comes with a small fee as well.  We cannot accept major appliances, such as refrigerators, washer/dryers, etc.

Remove loose pieces (glass turntables in microwaves, etc.) as well as all batteries–don’t forget to check the remote!  You can keep those items or alkaline batteries will be accepted here (see below) and all rechargeable batteries (including watch/button batteries, and car batteries) should be taken to Under the Sink.

We will also accept steel scrap metal in personal quantities.

Items with recycling fee:

• Desktop computer towers, laptops, and/or hard drives that have been removed from computer – $5
• Flatscreen (plasma/LCD/LED/etc.) TVs and monitors – $5
• Tube TVs and CRT* monitors with a screen up to approximately 32 inches – $10
• Tube TVs and CRT* monitors with a screen over 32 inches – $20
• TV consoles, projection, or wood cased/floor model screens – $25

*CRT stands for cathode ray tube.  CRT monitors have a large casing that extends beyond the monitor or TV and is virtually everything that is not a flat screen TV or monitor.

Pay by Cash or Check; checks made payable to UNMC.

Items free to drop off:

• Audio equipment
• Cameras
• Cell phones
• CD/DVD drives and players
• Cords and cables
• Data storage devices
• Fitness trackers
• Gaming equipment (e.g. Playstation/X Box)
• Hand held devices
• Humidifiers
• iPods and MP3 players
• Keyboards and mice
• Lamps
• Modems
• Microwaves
• Modems
• PDAs
• Routers
• Servers
• Stereos and/or speakers
• Telephones and associated materials
• Vacuums

**List is not all inclusive, merely a guide.  If you have questions on a specific item, please contact LiveGreen@unmc.edu

Techno Trash will also be collected for destruction and recycling.  Items must be separate from electronics and paper.  Techno Trash collected:

• CDs/DVDs (please remove and recycle plastic cases before drop-off, we will recycle separately)
• Computer disks; floppy, 3.5” hard, or Zip disks (please remove and recycle plastic cases before drop-off, we will recycle separately)
• VHS tapes (please remove and recycle cardboard covers before drop-off, they can be recycled in your curbside bin)

Personal, single use/alkaline batteries will also be collected for recycling.  This includes AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V batteries that can only be used once.  Common brands are Duracell and Energizer.

We cannot accept watch/button batteries or car batteries.  We cannot collect rechargeable batteries of any size.  Rechargeable batteries can be recycled through Under the Sink as well as most Interstate Battery, Lowes Home Improvement, and Home Depot stores, and car batteries can be recycled through many car part/service stores.  Bringing these items will result in us not being to collect any batteries for recycling.

Eye Glass Collection

LiveGreen will collect gently use eyeglasses at this event.  We will take them to UNMC Ophthalmology where they will be given to patients at free monthly clinics.

Pop Tab Collection

LiveGreen will also collect pop tabs to take to the Ronald McDonald House.  They use pop tabs to help pay the bills, so families can stay together while children receive medical care.

 

We are not able to accept:

• Light bulbs/fluorescent lights*
• Glass^
• Tires
• Appliances
• Medication**
• Other miscellaneous/non-electric items

*CFLs can be recycled for free at Lowes Home Improvement or Home Depot stores.

^Glass can be recycled for free at several Keep Omaha Beautiful locations, City of Omaha drop-off locations, as well as Target and Whole Foods.

**Three Nebraska Medicine outpatient pharmacies collect medication year-round.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

If I bring an item that requires a recycling fee, how do I pay?

For items that have a fee associated with them, you can pay by cash or check when you drop off the items.  Checks should be made payable to UNMC.

Where do I bring these items?

We will be in Annex 23 (Grounds Dept.) in parking lot 17, which is immediately north of Broncos.  The address is 4650 Jones St. and a map can be found by clicking here.

Will someone be available to help unload my car if I have a heavy/awkward item?

Yes!  Volunteers from LiveGreen will be available to assist.  Want to volunteer?  Email LiveGreen@unmc.edu

What happens if there is bad weather?

This event will take place rain or shine.  We have a covered area for unloading to protect against the elements.

If I bring a computer or hard drive, will it be destroyed?

Yes.  All hard drives are shredded at the recyclers site prior to recycling.

Can I bring equipment from work to recycle?

No. This event is only for your personal, household electronic equipment.  All work items need to be surplused through your department; this is free to your department and items are still recycled.

If I have an electronic item to recycle but can’t make it Tuesday or Wednesday, what can I do?

Keep Omaha Beautiful has neighborhood cleanup events scheduled until May 19th.