Support sustainability at UIC at two upcoming campus events

UIC students, faculty and staff can support the university’s sustainability goals by participating in two upcoming campus recycling events.

The 30th annual Great Stuff Exchange will take place on the lawn east of University Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21. Throughout the year, the Office of Planning, Sustainability, and Project Management collects office supplies from campus departments and gives them away to UIC students and staff. Most of the items are gently used, but some of it has never been out of their packaging.

To ensure the safety of all shoppers, the number of people who can shop at the same time will be limited. Masks are also required, and hand sanitizer will be provided.

The following common items will be available:

• Three-ring binders.
• Hanging file folders.
• Pocket folders.
• Office supplies such as binder clips, paper clips, boxes of staples, Post-it Notes, and file racks, including rolling file holders.

Volunteers are also being sought to assist with the event and will receive a free T-shirt as a thank you. UIC community members who would like to volunteer or have items to donate should email recycling@uic.edu.

On Sept. 28, the Swap and Recycle Pop-Up event will take place on the lawn east of University Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event, in partnership with Reduce Waste Chicago and Eco & the Flamingo, will give UIC students and employees a chance to bring books and clean clothes in good condition for swapping. Participants can also recycle items that cannot traditionally go in the regular recycling stream but can be sorted and recycled through specialty methods. You can view a full list of acceptable items on the Reduce Waste Chicago website.

Volunteers are also needed for this event and can select a specific time slot select a specific time slot online.

For more information about UIC recycling and Zero Waste initiatives, visit the Sustainability website.