'Recyclopedia' Launches as Online Recycling Info Hub at SFU

Have you ever wondered how to dispose of your old electronics, coffee cups, batteries and more sustainably at SFU? The newly launched SFU Recyclopedia can help you sort out how and where to recycle your used items on (or off) our campuses. 

The Recyclopedia website was an undertaking of the Re-use For Good project which aims to reduce waste and promote circular economy practices. Prior to 2021, it was reported that over one million single-use cups and plastic bottles were disposed of each year at SFU and a program like Re-use For Good was needed to motivate change on our campuses and inspire people to introduce sustainable practices into their daily lives. Re-use For Good initiatives have included the introduction of metal cutlery at dining locations, eliminating all single-use plastic bottles from campuses and promoting programs like MugShare at Renaissance Cafe. 

Now with the launch of Recyclopedia, the community has a convenient resource to determine the best way to recycle or dispose of hundreds of items that we use in our daily education and work so they don’t end up in local landfills. For example, when electronics* make their way to the landfill, their raw materials go unrecycled and may leak heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic into the environment. When these electronics get recycled, they are able to recover raw materials such as glass, plastic, gold, silver, copper and palladium and use them to manufacture new products. Using Recyclopedia, you will find resources to choose whether to donate your old electronics for refurbishment or find a local recycling centre to dispose of the materials in a way that’s best for our environment. 

“Recycling is very important at SFU and Recyclopedia is meant to help the SFU community learn how to recycle hundreds of everyday items properly, such as chopsticks, electronics, and pens,” says Re-use For Good Ambassador Emma Chong. “With Recyclopedia as a resource, we can support the reduction of landfill waste generated from our campuses.”

To use Recyclopedia, visit the website recyclopedia.sfu.ca and click on the category of the item you wish to dispose of. Once you have selected the category, you will be directed to a dedicated page specific to that item where you will find useful tips and information regarding disposal locations that are either located on or near one of the campuses. There is also a search function for quicker access to information for the items you need.

*Note: If you are an SFU staff or faculty member with an SFU-owned electronic device, you must recycle through Facilities Services, who will ensure that data-bearing devices (e.g. computers, laptops, tablets and phones) will have their hard drives cleansed of any data - For more instructions, visit:  SFU Facilities Services Maintenance Request - Surplus