People walk by two large white tents on Low Plaza that are full of donations of books and other household goods

Clean + Go Green

Twice a year, as part of our Clean + Go Green program, we will make dumpsters available at the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses, at no cost to you, for the disposal of large unwanted items. You can also shred paper as well. Best of all, Operations will properly separate your items for donation and recycle them. That way, when you clean, you "go green!"

Dates

Locations

Reuse/Donation Drop-off Location:

  • White tent on Low Plaza

Recycling Drop-off Locations:

  • Fairchild Courtyard
  • Walkway between Lerner Hall and Butler Library
  • The Grove at 119th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
  • Manhattanville – The Plaza in front of the Lenfest Center for the Arts

Paper Shredding Locations:

  • College Walk near Kent Hall (shredding truck)
  • Manhattanville – The Plaza in front of the Lenfest Center for the Arts (secure shredding bins)

NOTE: No cars are allowed on campus. The closest electronics recycling accessible by car is via 115th Street (carrying items through the Lerner Gate), or 129th Street in front of The Plaza.

Items

Items you can bring to a Clean + Go Green drop-off location include:

Reuse/Donation (Low Plaza only):

  • Clothing
  • Textiles and Linens
  • Non-perishable Food
  • Books/Used Books
  • Coats
  • Shoes
  • Small Household Items

Second-hand clothing, textiles, linens, non-perishable food, coats and shoes will go to Columbia Community Service organizations that provide emergency services.

Recycling:

  • Furniture (not available at Manhattanville/The Plaza location)
  • Computer Monitors, Keyboards and CPUs (please clean your hard drive)
  • Paper/Cardboard
  • Batteries
  • Electronic Equipment
  • Bulbs, including compact fluorescents
  • Toner Cartridges
  • Paint Cans

Items you CANNOT bring to a Clean + Go Green drop-off location:

  • Chemicals
  • Laboratory equipment
  • Laboratory refrigerators
  • Laboratory furniture that has potentially come into contact with chemical, biological or radioactive material
  • Metal bricks or any material previously used as shielding
  • Compressed gas cylinders
  • Used oil
  • Mercury containing devices (e.g., thermometers, switches, thermostats)
  • Smoke detectors

Contact Environmental Health and Safety for removal or clearance to remove items on this list.

Free Shredding

During each event, items can be brought to paper shredding locations for shredding. As a reminder, before disposing of University records, please refer to the Records Retention and Disposal policies that can be found in the University Policies Library. If you have any questions about these policies, please contact [email protected] and check out this guide on how to prepare for the Shredding Event

Three bins and a sign that says "Free Shredding" sit in the Small Square in front of the Jerome L. Greene Science Center

Donate Used Books

Don't throw your used books away—donate them instead!  Bring your used books where they could be used by your fellow Columbians.

Moving Help

For a fee, movers will come directly to your office to collect and recycle your unwanted items (available for offices at the Morningside campus only).  Contact the Facilities Services Center at 212-854-2222 48 hours prior to each event and mention "Clean + Go Green" to request this service.

Find Something Special for Columbia's Archives?

Help preserve the institutional memory of the University. Please reach out to the University Archives at [email protected] so staff can assess what you have for possible long-term preservation.