Campus RVM signage: where rejected packaging should go

Place instructions for excluded packaging beside the accepted list and give each stream an approved destination. A return machine’s accepted list is narrower than a general statement that packaging is recyclable. Campus visitors should be able to find the right route without repeatedly trying the wrong intake.

Start with the real downstream route

ADEME’s French packaging guidance explains that sorting information identifies the appropriate disposal or collection route. This is guidance for France, not proof that a campus machine accepts every recyclable package. Confirm instructions with the campus waste contractor and the programme owner before printing signs.

List the packaging visitors actually bring from cafeterias, vending areas and events. For each type, identify whether it belongs in the machine, another collection stream or a staff-handled exception. Do not apply household sorting instructions to a campus contract without checking whether the collection arrangement matches.

Use one decision at each point

Use a short label and a corresponding example image. Avoid green symbols that imply every material belongs in the machine. Never invent a return destination merely to complete a diagram.

Test the route with representative visitors

Ask someone unfamiliar with the installation to choose a destination for an approved container and an excluded example. Observe the decision without coaching. Record whether they find the instructions, identify the right stream and reach it without blocking the return queue.

Check the same route during a busy meal period. A technically correct sign can fail when the intended collection point is hidden behind a queue or a full bin. Agree who checks the alternative stream and who updates signage when the collection contract changes.

Questions from campus teams

Does recyclable mean accepted by the machine? No. Programme scope, equipment configuration and the downstream route must all match.

Should excluded packaging be left beside the cabinet? Use the site’s approved destination and handling rules. An unplanned pile is not a collection service.

Use the RECYNEX campus solution to plan ownership and compare the equipment options after the streams are defined.