Zero Waste Mason (ZWM) is a collaborative university-wide program that aims to reduce waste generation at the source and improve waste diversion at the bin.
- Waste Reduction strategies include reusable programs, food waste source reduction programs (e.g., Leanpath), preferring a 'Buy Less, Buy Better' purchasing strategy, replacing single-use plastics with recyclable (e.g., aluminum cans) or compostable (e.g., BPI or CMA certified foodservice ware) items, and more.
- Waste Diversion strategies include free redistribution (e.g., Patriot Packout), food recovery, composting, and recycling, as well as improving campus waste infrastructure to support public access (e.g., Better Bins Preview).
Join in!
Your actions are essential to reaching our ZWM goal of diverting 90% or more waste away from trash disposal.
- Support a Reuse & Refill campus culture! Find water bottle refill stations near you and sign-up for Mason Dining's reusable container program at the Eaterie.
- Review Mason's new ZWM Standards to ensure you are compliant when purchasing waste bins or stations.
- Visit the Plastics Free Mason website to see how Mason is reducing single-use plastics on campus and how you can get involved!
- Become a ZWM Volunteer at a campus clean up or waste audit event!
- Reach out to the ZWM Civic Fellows about your zero waste related questions and projects.
- Explore the Sorting Guidance below to learn about Mason's waste streams!
Sorting Guidance
Primary Waste Streams
CANS & BOTTLES
Clean and empty:
- Aluminum beverage cans and bottles
- Aluminum and metal food cans
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic jugs
- Lids and labels on cans and bottles are fine
- NO liquids and food waste (if you can’t clean it, throw out items contaminated with food waste)
- NO other plastics or polystyrene packaging/containers
- NO glass bottles and jars (drop-off recycling at purple trailers only)
Updating Mason’s commingled recycling bins to 'Cans and Bottles' is a strategic effort to maximize clean recycling and improve our overall diversion rate. Plastic bottles and jugs are nearly always accepted for recycling while nearly all other single-use plastics products have limited-to-no recycling acceptance. Please do not wish-cycle: When items like cups, food containers, bags, and wrappers are placed in Cans and Bottles or other recycling bins, they “contaminate” the stream since they are not recyclable. High recycling contamination can cause entire loads to be thrown in the trash.
Updating this stream to Cans and Bottles improves the quality of Mason’s recycling and addresses single-use plastics significant track record of environmental pollution. To reduce single-use plastics pollution, please avoid using single-use plastics items whenever you can, support better alternatives like reusables, and recycle empty Cans and Bottles when you use them.
PAPER
Clean and dry:
- Lined paper
- Index cards
- Printer paper
- Colored paper
- Newspaper
- Paper folders
- Letterhead
- Coffee cup sleeves
- Envelopes
- Paper bags
- Magazines
- Paper without plastic coating (Test if you can easily tear it)
- Post-it notes
- Ink is fine
- Staples are fine, but please remove binder clips, paper clips, flags and coils
- NO napkins, paper towels, or paper contaminated with food waste
Mason is currently combining White Paper and Mixed/Colored Paper recycling into one Paper recycling stream. This strategic change makes it simpler for Mason Patriots to appropriately recycle their paper waste at the bin, while improving Mason’s overall diversion of waste away from trash incineration. Current White Paper recycling is often processed as ‘office pack’ (a grade below white) by Mason's recycling partner, so there is little need to separate these two streams anymore.
TRASH
Single-Use Plastics and Polystyrene:
- Bags
- Cups, bowls, and lids
- Food containers and tubs
- Hinged clamshells food containers
- Straws
- Cutlery
- Tape
- Stickers
- Balloons
- Glitter
- Microwavable food trays
- Triangle tea bags
- Vinyl tablecloths
- Expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam, packing peanuts, etc.)
- Bubble and saran wrap
- Bubble mailers
Mixed Materials:
- Pumps and spray tops (hand soap pumps, etc.)
- Condiment packets
- Sugar packets
- Plastic coated paper (some receipts, etc.)
- Coffee and creamer pods
- Drink cartons (Oat milk containers, etc.)
- Hardback binders
- Chip bags
- Glitter paper (wrapping paper, etc.)
- Candy wrappers
- Padded paper mailers *
* Padded Amazon mailers are NOT recyclable at Mason. The interior padding is expanded polystyrene foam!
Miscellaneous Glass:
- Mirrors
- Ceramics
- Painted glass
- Broken glass
- Glass cups and tempered containers
- Glass bottles and jars*
* Glass bottles and jars are ONLY recyclable at Mason's purple drop-off trailers on the Fairfax Campus (available Spring 2024). If you cannot bring glass bottles and jars to pilot drop-off trailer locations, they must be disposed of in campus Trash bins.
Compost in Trash?
Mason would prefer our community take food scraps to available drop-off locations. If you cannot bring compostable food scraps to select drop-off locations, all food and drink liquids must be disposed of in Trash to ensure our recycling is not rejected due to food contamination. See the Compost section below for specific guidance.
Mason is aiming for zero waste, and you can help us get there! To achieve true waste diversion, it’s important to communicate with transparency about what happens with waste beyond Mason’s campuses, as well as about the limitations of plastics recycling.
Mason is eliminating single-use plastics and polystyrene as part of a multi-year phase-out and replacement of unsustainable materials with more sustainable alternatives. It's estimated that only 5-6% of post-consumer plastics waste was recycled in the U.S. over 2021, while only 9% of all global plastics ever produced have been recycled once.
There are only two plastics items, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) bottles and jugs, that are widely accepted by U.S. recycling facilities. Despite single-use plastics bottles and jugs' recycling acceptance, PET and HDPE can only be recycled a maximum of 9-10 times before needing landfilling or incineration. Single-use plastics will always need fossil fuel extraction to sustain production, given the limitations of recycling plastics and surging global production.
A significant quantity of single-use plastics was eliminated from Mason Dining and campus vendors' operations. If you are still unsure about the correct bin for your waste items (after reviewing labels), please dispose of them in the trash. Waste items placed in the incorrect bin may contaminate campus recycling or compost streams, causing entire loads of recoverable materials to be rejected as trash.
Drop-Off Only Waste Streams
COMPOST
Industrial Composting:
- ALL food waste (includes dairy, meat and bones)
- Drink liquids and ice
- Certified compostable foodservice ware (compostable containers, cups, cutlery, etc.) with Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) or Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA) Certification Mark:
- NO single-use plastics or trash
- NO cleaning chemicals, shop and cleaning rags, or other hazardous materials
- NO items labeled ‘biodegradable’ or ‘biobased’
- NO compostable items that are missing the BPI/CMA logos, or #7 PLA symbol
'Industrial' compost drop-off is ONLY available at the Bigbelly Zero Waste Station initiative's drop-off locations on the Fairfax Campus.
Third-party certified compostable foodservice ware will NOT breakdown in “backyard” compost piles. Products like PLA cups are “commercially compostable only”, which means they require extreme (and consistent) composting conditions to properly degrade. These compostable products must be processed off-campus at a large, high heat composting facility to properly break down.
- See the 'Industrial Compost Drop-Off' section below or visit our Composting page to find drop-off locations.
- Bigbelly Zero Waste Station Drop-Off (6 Patio Locations)
- Northern Neck Starbucks Patio
- Merten Hall (Panda Express Patio & Manhattan Pizza Patio)
- HUB Patio
- SUB I Patio
- Southside Dining Hall Patio
- Pilot Zero Waste Station Drop-Off (Indoor Locations)
- Northern Neck Starbucks Lobby
- The Globe Dining Hall (near dish return)
- Katherine G. Johnson Hall (1st floor only)
Compostable materials accepted at industrial drop-off locations:
- Food waste (all types)
- Beverage liquids
- BPI/CMA certified compostable items (check for certification mark)
Visit our Composting page for more information! Share our Composting at Mason flyer resource.
Compost piles can be found at the Innovation Food Forest and the Potomac Heights Garden on the Fairfax Campus (See Sustainable Mason Map).
- These sites are managed by University Sustainability’s Greenhouse and Gardens program.
- Anyone can contribute to these composting piles!
- Items accepted at these ‘backyard’ compost sites:
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Non-oily food scraps (e.g., bread/pasta)
- Coffee grounds and loose teas
- Please cover what you dropped off with leaves/twigs before leaving.
- NO meat, dairy, processed/oily foods, or commercially compostable foodservice ware (on-campus compost piles cannot break down bioplastics)!
Yes, Mason first began composting pre-consumer (generated during preparation) and post-consumer food waste (remaining after diners finish their meals) at Southside in 2018.
In 2019, Mason’s dining hall composting initiative expanded to include all three Fairfax dining halls – the Globe, Southside, and Ike’s. To date, over 560,000 pounds of food waste has been composted at Fairfax dining hall locations!
Facilities staff pick up food waste once per week from Mason’s Point of View Retreat Center in Lorton, VA. This food waste is collected by Compost Crew, combined with the Fairfax dining halls’ compost, and processed off-campus at Freestate Farms’ industrial composting facility in Lorton, VA.
George Mason University began its industrial composting program at Southside Dining Hall in 2018 . The program was expanded in 2019 to include Southside Dining Hall, Ike's Diner, and The Globe Dining Hall. All pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste (and any third-party certified compostable foodservice ware) are collected from these 3 dining hall locations by the university's contracted compost hauler, Compost Crew, and transported to a local commercial composting facility in Manassas, VA. This facility is operated by the Convertus Group (formerly Freestate Farms).
Additionally, George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations' Recycling and Waste Management staff collect industrial compost from several Fairfax Campus and Science and Technology (SciTech) Campus locations: The Spot, Starbucks Northern Neck, Facilities & Campus Operations Complex (Paper Towel Composting Pilot), select Johnson Center prep kitchens, 6 Bigbelly 'Zero Waste Station' outdoor locations, and compost bins at Katherine G. Johnson Hall's 1st floor (Better Bins Preview Initiative). George Mason's Recycling team brings Fairfax Campus and SciTech Campus industrial compost to Convertus Facility in Manassas, VA.
CARDBOARD
Emptied and flattened:
- Cardboard boxes
- Brown paperboard
- Egg cartons
- Pizza boxes
- Pizza and other cardboard boxes must be completely emptied and flattened
- Brown paperboard can also go in Paper labeled bins, if needed.
Staff/Faculty:
- For large cardboard items, bring flattened cardboard to the outdoor Cardboard recycling container located behind your building (on loading dock, etc.). For small cardboard items, please empty and flatten, then place behind recycling bins/stations for collection.
- High volume or moving? Put in a Facilities Work Request or contact Facilities Customer Service Center at (703) 993-2525 or [email protected] for assistance.
Students:
- Please place all flattened cardboard behind or between appropriate recycling bins inside campus buildings or your residence hall’s waste and recycling room.
- Live in Presidents Park? Bring flattened cardboard boxes to the nearest Cardboard recycling containers outside your residence hall. Don’t leave cardboard in the hallways as it is a fire and tripping hazard.
GLASS BOTTLES & JARS
Glass is NO longer accepted in Mason’s standard Cans and Bottles recycling bins.
- Mason Patriots can ONLY recycle glass bottles and jars at purple trailers on the Fairfax Campus.
- If you are not able to bring glass bottles and jars to a glass recycling drop-off location, place all glass in campus Trash bins instead.
Cleaned and emptied:
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
- Lids and labels are fine.
- All colors of glass bottles and jars are accepted.
- NO glass cups, broken glass, painted glass, ceramics, mirrors, or other misc. glass items.
- NO lightbulbs, lamps or other hazardous glass items.
- NO plastic and paper bags or anything you use to transport glass bottles and jars for drop-off.
- NO food or drink liquids!
Mason Patriots can recycle glass bottles and jars by dropping them off at two purple trailers on the Fairfax Campus. Purple trailers change locations on a biweekly, semester schedule:
| Southside Dining Hall & Lot R | Rogers Hall & Student Townhouses |
| January 20 – February 2 | February 3 – February 16 |
| February 17 – March 2 | March 3 – March 16 |
| March 17 – March 30 | March 31 – April 13 |
| April 14 – April 27 | April 28 – May 11 |
| May 12 – May 25 | May 26 – June 8 |
Note: Mason’s purple trailers are emptied based on capacity. Trailers' availability and locations may be updated to reflect campus feedback and glass recycling volumes collected. Please check this page for updates about Mason's Glass Recycling Program! The up-to date schedule can be found here.
- Empty and rinse your glass bottles and jars (all colors).
- Review the Glass Recycling Program’s up-to-date schedule to find the nearest purple trailer.
- Bring your clean, empty, and dry glass bottles and jars to a drop-off trailer location.
- Remove glass bottles and jars from any bags you use to transport them in – DO NOT dispose of bags with glass bottles and jars or leave glass outside of the trailer.
- Recycle your glass bottles and jars by dropping them inside the trailer openings (both sides of the trailer).
Glass bottles and jars that are dropped off at Mason’s purple trailers are brought to Fairfax County’s “Big Blue” processing facility in Lorton, VA. It's here that glass bottles and jars are picked up by regional manufacturing partners who recycle them into cullet to produce new glass bottles. When needed, some glass bottles and jars are crushed into rough aggregate and repurposed as a sustainable alternative to mined sand in local public works projects.
Recycling glass locally avoids the negative environmental and social impacts of sand mining and reduces the need for new glass production. Unlike single-use plastics, which degrade and lose quality when recycled, glass can be continuously recycled without losing its physical properties. Please take the extra step - recycle your glass at Mason’s purple trailers whenever you can!
Do NOT dispose of glass bottles and jars in Cans and Bottles recycling bins (all standard outdoor recycling bins accept aluminum cans and plastics bottles only).
Recycle your glass bottles and jars by dropping them off at the nearest purple trailer on the Fairfax Campus. Spread the word about Mason's new Glass Recycling Pilot program and other zero waste resources!
Did you know glass is endlessly recyclable? Support reusing and repurposing glass locally:
- Drop-off your clean glass bottles and jars at Mason's two purple trailers on the Fairfax Campus.
- If you can’t drop-off glass bottles and jars at new purple trailer locations, bring glass to off-campus Purple Can Club locations or dispose of all glass in campus Trash bins instead.
Glass bottles and jars are considered trash at Mason except when appropriately recycled at purple trailer locations on the Fairfax Campus. Glass bottles and jars placed in any other campus recycling bins are considered contamination and may cause the whole recycling load to be thrown away as trash!
If you can't access the purple trailers' side openings, a purple glass recycling bin is available at each drop-off location to support recycling access for all Mason Patriots. If you can deposit your glass inside the purple trailers' side openings, but find that one opening may be blocked, please try a different opening to deposit glass inside the trailer.
This program does not extend to all of Mason's campuses yet! If you can't visit a pilot drop-off location on the Fairfax Campus, please dispose of glass in campus Trash bins or bring clean glass jars and bottles to your nearest off-campus Purple Can Club location for recycling.
Mason's Glass Recycling Program will help us understand glass recycling volumes, staff procedures for safe glass collections, and other key logistics to expand university access.
To report broken glass or other maintenance emergencies, please submit a Housing and Residence Life Maintenance Request AND contact a Resource Desk immediately:
- Eisenhower Hall, 703-993-2750
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Piedmont Hall ,703-993-9880
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
To report a non-emergency maintenance issue at a drop-off trailer location, please submit a Housing and Residence Life Maintenance Request.
LDPE PLASTIC FILM
Low-Density Polyethylene Film (LDPE #4) ONLY:
Clean and dry:
- Pillow packaging / film
- Pallet wrap
- Blue recycling bags (must be clean and dry)
- Low density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic mailers (no padding)
- Grocery bags
- Bread bags
- If you can easily stretch it, you can dispose of it within university drop-off boxes
- NO plastic cling wrap, food wrap, or food packaging items
Public LDPE film drop-off:
- Commonwealth Hall (outside main entrance)
Restricted LDPE film drop-off:
- Johnson Center Loading Dock *
- EagleBank Arena Loading Dock *
- Facilities Surplus Warehouse *
- Southside Loading Dock *
- The Globe Loading Dock *
- Ike’s Diner Loading Dock *
- The HUB Loading Dock *
- Colgan Hall Loading Dock (SciTech Campus) *
* Not for public use, provided for operational staff use only.
LDPE plastic film is collected by the Facilities Waste and Recycling team and brought to the Facilities Recycling Yard on the Fairfax Campus.
At the Facilities Recycling Yard, staff members sort plastic film by hand, consolidate clean plastic, and load it into a baler that compresses the bulk plastics for easier transportation.
Bales of compressed plastic are picked up by International Paper and brought to their processing facility in Richmond, VA. The bales are consolidated into larger bales and sold to a plastics recycling facility located in North Carolina.
The plastics recycler pelletizes the LDPE by converting it into small cylindrical pieces. The pieces are sold to different plastics manufacturing facilities where they are used to manufacture new plastics products like composite decking, bottles, etc.
DONATION & REDISTRIBUTION
In a zero waste framework community-based strategies like reuse and sharing closets are prioritized over composting and recycling because they stop waste at the source.
Mason is implementing reuse strategies as part of a Buy Less, Buy Better initiative, with a focus on supporting access to reusable alternatives, improving packaging, and making other sustainable purchasing changes to reduce waste.
You can support a truly zero waste campus by:
- Engaging with the student support offices, programs, services, and different resource sharing initiatives at Mason.
- Volunteering to help with a sustainable move-out and move-in at Mason and donating usable items this Patriot Packout!
- Establish your own resource sharing site or initiative (apply to the Patriot Green Fund).
Patriot Packout (PPO) is Mason’s annual end-of-the year donation initiative. PPO provides on-campus donation resources for all students, faculty, and staff affected by move-out. PPO diverts usable items from trash and redistributes them to Mason students, staff/faculty, and community members who can benefit from them.
In 2023, University Sustainability launched the Patriot Packout Planning Committee to expand PPO’s impact across Mason, with the goal of prioritizing the free redistribution of donated goods to the Mason community and those in need.
Check the PPO webpage for spring 2025 Swap and Hop event dates, upcycling workshop dates, and updated locations for PPO 2025!
PPO accepts gently used, like-new, or new items: “IF YOU WOULDN’T GIVE IT TO A FRIEND, DON’T GIVE IT TO PPO.”
Bikes, Scooters, and Skateboards
- If you can’t bring your bike to a donation location, email [email protected] a photo of your bike and its bike rack location.
Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories
- All items must be clean and bagged separately.
- NO used undergarments, socks, or unwashed clothing.
Unopened, Unexpired Non-Perishable Food and Toiletry Supplies
- Food and toiletry supplies must be unused/unopened and not expired or close to expiration.
Textbooks, Testing Supplies, and Art Supplies
- See 'Art Supply Sharing Closet' list included below.
Small Appliances and Electronics
- Fragile items must be boxed separately. Bring e-waste to drop-off locations.
Small Furniture and Equipment
- Mirrors must be unbroken, and all furniture must be assembled.
- NO foam mattress pads (unless new/boxed).
Your donations benefit Mason’s Patriot Packout partners: Parking and Transportation, Trans Clothing Closet, LGBTQ+ Resources Center, Patriot Pantry, Art Supplies Sharing Closet, and the MIX, among others.
Facilities Surplus Warehouse is open Monday – Friday from 8:00am – 4:00pm
- University equipment (” white goods” like appliances, motorized utility vehicles, etc.)
- University electronics
- University furniture
- Other office supplies
- University equipment and furniture beyond repair or obsolete beyond usage must be processed as surplus property.
Surplus Property is located at the Facilities Services Warehouse on the Fairfax Campus. Reusable furniture and equipment are stored at the Warehouse and made available to all Mason staff and faculty to claim for reuse in their department.
Any surplus inventory not obtained for reuse at Mason is auctioned off on GovDeals (all auctions are accessible to the public), donated to state registered nonprofit partners, or broken down for recycling or safe trash disposal.
Mason departments are prohibited from abandoning equipment. Equipment must not be thrown away, left in hallways, or otherwise abandoned.
- Students must be accompanied by department staff members to obtain surplus property.
- All Mason staff and faculty can claim surplus property for reuse in their department.
- For more information, please visit Fiscal Services’ Equipment Inventory webpage, if you have any additional questions about declaring an item for surplus you may also reach out at [email protected].
The Patriot Pantry is Mason’s on-campus food pantry housed by the Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC) in SUB I (Rm. 3011) at the Fairfax Campus and in Van Metre Hall (Rm. 222) at Mason Square.
The Pantry provides free access to non-perishable food and toiletry supplies for Mason students. Users submit orders online and pick-up their food and hygiene items via contactless pick-up. Students can submit order forms online via the Pantry’s website.
Patriot Pantry’s needs include:
- Pasta and Sauce
- Rice (instant or regular)
- Canned Tuna, Chicken, Salmon
- Mac N Cheese
- Hormel Compleats
- Mixed Vegetables
- Soups
- Cereal and Other Breakfast Items
- Instant Oatmeal
- Healthy Snacks (crackers, nuts, granola bars)
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Toilet Paper
- Paper Towels
- Deodorant
- Shampoo and Conditioner
- Body Wash/Bar Soap
- Period Products
- Shaving Cream
- Lotion
- Hand Soap
- Toothpaste
- Floss
- Laundry Detergent
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and other dietary restriction options are particularly encouraged!
- NO expired or near expired items will be accepted.
DONATE to the Patriot Pantry during Patriot Packout or visit the Pantry’s donation page to donate year-round!
- Patriot Packout donation drop-off locations can be found here: go.gmu.edu/patriotpackout
- Year-Round Donations: drop-off non-perishable food and toiletries at the donation table outside of the Fairfax Campus Pantry location (Rm 3011), in the box marked "Donations".
- To contribute monetarily to the Patriot Pantry, please donate to the Student Food and Housing Insecurity Fund!
- Visit the Pantry's website for more detailed form instructions, donation information, as well as information about community support services and additional SNAP resources.
- If you have any questions, please reach out to the Pantry at: [email protected]!
The LGBTQ+ Resources Center created the Trans Clothing Closet in 2019 as a resource where transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students can find free clothing and accessories. No one has to prove they are “trans enough” to use the closet. Students are welcome to visit the space without an appointment.
All items including flags, flyers, buttons, and clothing and accessories are FREE, they only ask that you fill out a small survey so staff and volunteers can provide everyone with the best experience possible.
- Please visit the LGBTQ+ Resources Center website for more information about the Trans Clothing Closet.
- Students can donate clothing items by stopping by the Trans Clothing Closet in SUB I during the LGBTQ+ Resources Center's business hours (check website).
Trans Clothing Closet’s Clothing Needs (check their website for up-to-date needs!):
All items must be clean and in like-new or gently used condition.
- Chest binders of all sizes
- Sports-bras of all sizes
- Skirts of all sizes
- XL+ sized clothing of all styles/items
The Art Supply Sharing Closet was established in 2022 in partnership with University Sustainability’s Patriot Green Fund. It is located in Room 2046 of the Art and Design building on the Fairfax Campus.
The free supply sharing cabinet is a socially conscious resource that provides access to valuable art supplies that aren’t always affordable, promotes a culture of sharing amongst students, and encourages recycling unused or unneeded materials instead of throwing them away.
The Art Supply Sharing Closet’s current needs includes:
- Magazines and Scrap Paper
- Printer Paper
- Writing Utensils
- Journals and Notebooks
- Paperclips
- Binders
- Yarn and Needlework
- Fabric and sewing materials (not actual clothing, but raw textile materials like fabric swatches and patches, thread, yard, etc.)
- Jewelry and beading
- Sheets of Vinyl
- Epoxy Resin molds and Equipment (no resin, related materials only)
- Seasonal Decor
- Gift Wrapping and Other Storage
- Dried or Fake Floral
- Art and design related books and textbooks
- Other supplies that can be repurposed for art
Established in 2008 and supported in 2014-15 by University Sustainability’s Patriot Green Fund (PGF), this program collects new and gently used musical instruments generously donated by members of the community. Used instruments should be clean and in functioning or near-functioning order for donation.
- Please visit the Mason Community Art Academy’s website for detailed instructions on how to donate!
Hazardous Waste Streams
ELECTRONICS WASTE
Small Electronics Waste (E-Waste):
- Chargers
- Cell phones
- Cords
- Batteries (tape over the metal terminal connection points before disposal) *
- Ink Cartridges *
* Batteries and Ink Cartridges: are also categorized as universal waste. Mason staff and faculty should place a Facilities work order, or coordinate with their zone manager to ensure safe disposal.
Large Electronics Waste (E-Waste):
- Computer Peripherals (keyboard, mouse, headsets, etc.)
- Computers and Laptops
- Monitors and television screens
- Printers
- Cameras
- Projectors
- Tablets
- Other electronic appliances
Small E-Waste: e-waste collection stations are located inside the Johnson Center, on the 1st floor by Freshens, and by the stairs on the 2nd floor atrium.
Large E-Waste: please place a work order with Housing and Residence Life or with Mason Facilities if you need assistance disposing of large e-waste safely.
- Students can also contact Facilities Customer Service Center at (703) 993-2525 or [email protected] with additional e-waste questions.
- Visit the Sustainable Mason Map to find e-waste drop-boxes to recycle batteries.
- Visit the Environmental Health and Safety website for more information about the handling and disposal of hazardous wastes at Mason.
All surplus e-waste must be declared and processed as surplus property since items are state-owned equipment.
- Review Fiscal Services’ Equipment Inventory webpage for detailed instructions to declare electronics equipment as surplus property.
- Contact Facilities Customer Service at [email protected] or (703) 993-2525 if you have questions about e-waste disposal at Mason.
- Visit the Environmental Health and Safety website for more information about the handling and disposal of hazardous wastes at Mason, as well as to register for available safety trainings.
UNIVERSAL WASTE
Universal waste materials contain substances that are hazardous to human health and the environment. They should NOT be thrown in the trash.
- Printer cartridges
- Lightbulbs and lamps
- All Batteries (lithium ion, rechargeable cell phone batteries, auto batteries, etc.)
- Mercury containing equipment (ex. LCD screens and monitors, medical equipment, etc.)
See Facilities Household Hazardous and Universal Waste guidance!
Mason Students: can drop-off printer cartridges, cellphones, and batteries at the two e-waste drop-boxes in the Johnson Center on the Fairfax Campus (1st floor by Freshens and 2nd floor atrium).
- Batteries and ink cartridges should be dropped off in separate, sealed containers. Tape over the metal terminal connection points before disposal.
- Contact Facilities Customer Service at [email protected] or (703) 993-2525 if you have questions about universal waste disposal at Mason.
- Visit the Sustainable Mason Map to find the e-waste drop-boxes for recycling batteries and small e-waste items.
- Visit Mason’s Environmental Health and Safety website for more information about universal waste handling and disposal at Mason.
Mason Faculty and Staff: should contact their zone managers or place a Facilities work order for universal waste pick-up. University equipment must be declared and processed as surplus property since items are state-owned equipment.
- Contact Facilities Customer Service at [email protected] or (703) 993-2525 if you have questions about universal waste disposal at Mason.
- Visit Mason’s Environmental Health and Safety website for more information about required Lab Safety and Hazardous and Universal Waste Handling trainings.
- Review Fiscal Services’ Equipment Inventory webpage for detailed instructions to declare university equipment as surplus property.
- Fairfax County Residents: review Fairfax County’s Household Hazardous Waste webpage for off-campus disposal guidance.
AEROSOL CANS & CLEANING SUPPLIES WASTE (Student Drop-Off Pilot)
Created in collaboration with Environmental Health & Safety and Housing and Residence Life Housekeeping, this drop-off pilot provides Mason students with safe drop-off access for disposing of their household hazardous aerosol cans and cleaning supplies waste on the Fairfax Campus.
Aerosol cans and cleaning supplies waste must be managed and stored differently than trash items to ensure their safe disposal due to the flammable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic characteristics/components they may contain.
Aerosol cans are considered hazardous waste because they are pressurized and contain flammable propellants like butane that can be dangerous or explosive under certain conditions. Similarly, certain components contained in cleaning supplies waste can harm the health of people and our environment if improperly managed for disposal.
Use the red drop-off bin for aerosol cans ONLY:
- Aerosol can cleaners/deodorizers (disinfectant, room spray, air duster spray, etc.)
- Aerosol can hygiene products (shaving cream, hairspray, etc.)
Use the gray drop-off bin for cleaning supplies waste ONLY:
- Household cleaners (cleaning spray, drain cleaners, toilet cleaners, oven cleaners, etc.)
- ALL aerosol cans and cleaning supplies containers must be properly lidded/sealed for drop-off.
- Please use designated bins for aerosol cans and cleaning supplies waste, do not dispose of items in the same drop-off bin.
- Make sure drop-off bin lids are completely closed before leaving!
Mason’s residential students can bring their household hazardous aerosol cans and cleaning supplies to pilot drop-off bins located outside of three Fairfax Campus residence halls:
- Commonwealth Hall (entrance)
- Potomac Heights (breezeway)
- Liberty Square (breezeway)
Each pilot location includes a red, metal drop-off bin for aerosol cans, and a gray plastic drop-off bin for cleaning supplies. See Patriot Packout's 2024 waste disposal map here.
Mason students can bring their aerosol cans and cleaning supplies to designated pilot drop-off bins outside of Commonwealth Hall, Potomac Heights, and Liberty Square.
- Bring lidded/sealed aerosol cans and cleaning supplies to a pilot drop-off location (i.e., the designated bin for your item outside of Commonwealth Hall, Potomac Heights, or Liberty Square).
- All aerosol and cleaning containers must be properly sealed/lidded for drop-off.
- Take aerosol cans and cleaning supplies out of any bags you use to transport them.
- Do not dispose of plastic, paper or other bags inside drop-off containers.
- Gently deposit lidded/sealed containers in the designated drop-off bin. DO NOT deposit aerosol cans and cleaning supplies in the same bin.
- Aerosol cans are deposited in the red drop-off bin, use the foot lever at the bottom of the bin to lift the lid.
- Ex. Houshold disinfectant aerosol can is placed in red bin (cap on).
- Cleaning supplies are deposited in the gray drop-off bin by lifting the bin lid directly.
- Ex. Spray bottle of household disinfectant is placed in gray bin (nozzle in locked position).
- Aerosol cans are deposited in the red drop-off bin, use the foot lever at the bottom of the bin to lift the lid.
- Ensure drop-off bins’ lids are closed before leaving!
- DO NOT leave bins open before leaving drop-off locations.
- Please submit a Housing and Residence Life Maintenance Request and contact the nearest Resource Desk if you are unable to close/access bins.
To report emergency issues at drop-off bins or other maintenance emergencies at pilot drop-off locations, please submit a Housing and Residence Life Maintenance Request AND contact a Resource Desk immediately:
Eisenhower Hall, 703-993-2750
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
Piedmont Hall ,703-993-9880
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week