Alachua County ranked fifth out of Florida’s 67 counties for recycling in 2024, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, placing it among the top-performing counties in the state.
Reducing contamination levels is crucial to sustain that distinction.
Contamination — when nonrecyclable items are placed in recycling bins — remains a consistent issue. Contamination reduces efficiency and leads to increased processing costs, according to The Recycling Partnership. Additionally, some residents struggle to find places to recycle in both on- and off-campus housing.
UF, in addition to the county, are investing in both community education and smart recycling technologies to help prevent pollution and reduce environmental impact.
What can you recycle?
Common items like plastic or glass bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard and paper are recyclable. However, in order to reduce contamination levels, items that once held food must be properly cleaned with no residue remaining.
Items like plastic bags, Styrofoam, batteries and plastic clamshells are not recyclable. Additionally, milk and juice cartons are no longer accepted as of 2024.
Chloe Hebblethwaite, a 19-year-old UF English sophomore and Gainesville resident, said accessibility plays a major role in recycling participation.
Hebblethwaite lives off-campus and doesn’t recycle, she said, because recycling bins are not provided.
When she’s back home with her parents, however, she recycles common items like glass bottles and cartons, she said, but she didn’t know popular items like Starbucks cold cups weren’t recyclable.
“I think it was briefly mentioned that a lot of recyclables have to be recycled differently,” Hebblethwaite said. “We can’t just put them all in one bin and then have them taken all together.”
Different materials like plastic, paper and metal require separation to prevent contamination, maintain efficient processing and uphold material value.
Where can you recycle?
Recycling bins are scattered across UF’s campus, including in residence halls, dining halls and academic buildings. Off campus, Gainesville residents can use curbside recycling through Gainesville’s waste management services.
Gabrielle Gele, a 50-year-old UF College of Pharmacy administrative assistant and Gainesville resident, said recycling can feel like an extra step on a packed workday, especially in older campus buildings.
She previously worked in the Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy building, where recycling bins were hard to come by, she said.
“I didn’t find that very much in the older buildings,” Gele said. “I don’t remember having recycling bins anywhere.”
Now based in Malachowsky Hall, Gele said tossing recyclables is simpler because bins are closer and easier to spot — a difference she says changes whether people follow through.
“If it’s not as convenient, you’re going to have less people actually put in the work to do it,” Gele said.
Gele said promoting recycling awareness in early education is imperative, she said. Growing up during the ‘80s, Gele said, recycling “wasn’t even a thing” and wasn’t taught in schools.
“The earlier you get education with kids at a younger age, the better you’re going to see progress in the future,” Gele said.
UF’s role
UF consistently assesses alternatives to make university recycling initiatives more attainable, wrote UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldán in an email to The Alligator.
UF is also working to make its Recycling and Solid Waste website more user friendly, she said, and updating signage around campus.
“This should help the campus community more easily identify what can be recycled and where,” Roldán said.
UF has also invested in Bigbelly trash cans, she said, offering more stations for waste and recycling disposal on campus to promote consistent recycling habits.
Bigbelly trash cans are solar-powered and contain an internal compactor that can hold up to five times more waste than standard bins. They contain web connectivity that allows staff to track capacity and optimize waste collection, Roldán said.
Gainesville also has Bigbelly trash cans located around the city, nearly 120 as of July 2025. The software used to monitor these receptacles costs $115 per unit, according to previous Alligator reporting.
Additionally, Roldán said UF will invest in “smart sensors” that can report real-time dumpster capacity. The sensors will help staff determine accurate sizing for collection services.
UF has consistently faced contamination issues each year, she added, which causes increased operating and labor costs, higher processing and disposal fees.
“If a recycling receptacle is heavily contaminated with non-acceptable materials, the contents of that receptacle are disposed as waste,” Roldán said.
UF aims to divert 90% of waste from landfills. In the past five years, Roldán said UF’s overall diversion rate has remained around 53% — meaning half of the university’s waste has been diverted away from landfills.
Compared to Florida State University, UF has a 5% higher overall diversion rate as of 2023, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Contact Lily Hartzema at lhartzema@alligator.org. Follow her on X @lilyhartzema.
Lily Hartzema is a second-year journalism major. She is the Metro's spring 2026 General Assignment Reporter. In her past-time, she enjoys reading, exploring new trails and photographing anything that catches her eye.
