Trash
Residents are responsible for bagging trash and placing it into the nearest trash room. Please do not leave bagged trash or any other trash in hallways, stairwells, or on the ground. Recycling containers are available on each floor.
Needles and sharps
Maintaining a safe environment in our residence halls is a shared responsibility. For students who use medical sharps—such as needles, syringes, or lancets—proper disposal is a critical part of campus safety.
Why Proper Disposal Matters
Improperly discarded sharps pose significant health and safety risks to the entire IU community:
- For You and Your Roommate: Loose needles in trash cans or drawers can lead to accidental needle sticks, potentially exposing you to bloodborne pathogens and the stress of emergency medical testing.
- For Custodial Staff: Our dedicated environmental service workers handle hundreds of waste bags daily. A sharp poking through a plastic bag can cause a life-altering injury during routine collection.
How to Dispose of Sharps at IUB
To protect yourself and those around you, please follow these steps:
- Get a Container: Puncture-resistant sharps containers are available to residents. Please contact housing@iu.edu to begin the process to obtain your container. Please do not use milk jugs, soda bottles, or standard trash bags or cans.
- Use Immediately: Place used sharps directly into the container right after use. Never recap, bend, or break needles.
- Exchange or Return Of Your Container: Once your container reaches the "full" line (roughly 3/4 of the way to the top of the container), please contact your building management by email to coordinate the return of your container or the exchange for a new container.
Never flush sharps down the toilet or place them in recycling bins. By using the provided disposal services, you help keep Indiana University a healthy place for everyone to live and work.