What is Recyclable?

Here is a list of what you may put in your recycling bin, or bring to the drop-off center. This information is provided by the people at Groot Recycling and Waste Services, who collect the contents each week. 

A reminder to all residents and condo owners in Evanston who still sort their recycling--it's acceptable to co-mingle your recyclable materials. Evanston community members can save time by placing all materials in one container. Groot Recycling and Waste Services sorts all recyclables at its plant. Groot will collect the following materials:

Paper, bundled in paper bags, including

• Newspapers and all inserts
• Direct mail advertising (aka junkmail)
• Office paper (including non-windowed envelopes and fax paper)
• Magazines, catalogs and phone books
• Corrugated cardboard  (must fit in recycling container) - break down to 2' x 2' square
• Kraft paper bags
• Chipboard (flattened cereal, tissue boxes, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, shoe and food boxes)

Paper not accepted

• Tyvek envelopes
• Silicon coated paper 
• Photographs
• Wax paper
• Tissue paper - kleenex, napkins, papertowels, gift wrap
• Foil-lined paper, brightly colored gift wrap

Put all containers below loose in your bin:

Cans and foil

• Steel (tin) cans and bi-metal cans, rinsed
• EMPTY aerosol cans
• Aluminum beverage and pet food cans
• Clean aluminum foil pans and containers
• Empty, dry paint cans

Metal not accepted

• Scrap metal
• Cookware
• Unemptied aerosols or paint cans

Glass
All colors of glass bottles and jars. You do not need to remove labels. Please rinse and throw away lids.

Glass not accepted

• Pottery/ceramics(plates, mugs, etc.)
• Window glass
• Mirrors
• Drinking glasses
• Crystal, light bulbs, Pyrex

Plastic
Containers with a #1 and #2 (Groot will also often accept #3, #4, #5) in a triangle on the bottom, including liter pop bottles; milk, water and juice bottles; liquid detergent, fabric softener, bleach, shampoo and vitamin and supplement bottles. Rinse, discard lids.
* Six pack and 12 pack rings

Plastic not accepted:
Any other plastic than the type #'s listed above, no petroleum products of any kind, no anti-freeze containers and no oil containers of any kind.

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New Battery Recycling Information
While household batteries don't pose the hazardous waste problems they used to, some require special disposal treatment.

Household batteries: The A, C & D cell batteries can be placed in the garbage.

For Rechargeable batteries:

• Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd)
• Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH)
• Lithium Ion (Li-ion)
• Small Sealed Lead Acid (Pb) batteries weighing up to 2 pounds

Check www.rbrc.org or call 800-8 Battery for the location nearest you. Most Radio Shack, Target and Best Buy retail outlets will recycle rechargeable batteries.

Most Sears Automotive, Target, Sam's Club and Walmart stores will accept car, motorcycle, boat, sump pump and tractor lead acid batteries.

For other type of batteries, check the Illinois EPA website for its household hazardous waste collection schedule.

Manufacturers have eliminated many of the toxic chemicals formerly used in common batteries, making it safe to toss those exhausted AAs and flashlight batteries into the trash. Better yet - use rechargeable batteries, which can be used over and over again.

Battery recycling has been available at Evanston fire stations and the Ecology Center. Keep Evanston Beautiful has paid for the cost of the recycling effort. Yet 80% of the batteries dropped off no longer need to be recycled. The cost of recycling is significant to KEB, and with the increase of other viable options, is no longer needed. As a result, batteries are not collected at the fire stations and Ecology Center drop-off points.

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Cell Phone recycling:
Keep Evanston Beautiful (KEB) is working with CollectiveGood to collect used mobile phones to turn them into cash, keep them out of landfills and provide affordable phone service to disadvantaged families. CollectiveGood buys the donated phones from Keep Evanston Beautiful. Then they are either refurbished for use in developing countries as pre-paid phones or scrapped for parts and recycled according to EPA standards. Wireless phones often contain hazardous chemicals, such as cadmium and gallium arsenide, which can leach into groundwater.

Any portable mobile phone will be accepted, except for bag phones or vehicle-installed models. Donors should deactivate their phones before donating them. Your trash will be turned into treasure for Keep Evanston Beautiful and you will help protect the environment.

Drop off wireless phones at the Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or at the Civic Center (Information Desk), 2100 Ridge Ave., weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

see our cell phone recyling ad! here...

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Ink Jet Recycling
Pre-Paid Plastic envelops for the disposal of computer printer inkjet cartridges are available at the Evanston Public Library and Evanston Post Office as well as locations throughout Evanston. Most cartridge are accepted for recycling. This keeps poisonous chemicals from entering the landfills. See list of locations for recycling Ink Jet cartridges.

Athletic Shoe Recycling
Have some really beat up athletic shoes? No chance that they will be worn again? Recycle them! Keep Evanston Beautiful in conjunction with SWANCC and Nike is sponsoring athletic shoe recycling in April, Earth Month.

Athletic shoes can be brought into the Ecology Center or local Evanston schools to be recycled and made into Nike Grind, a playground service. ONLY athletic shoes are accepted, NO Cleats, NO Sandals. We urge you to donate shoes that can be reused to an appropriate charity. For more information, call the KEB office at 847-448-8256 x105 or email.

Groot has helped to support this project in Evanston.

Local schools which have to athletic shoe recycling are: Willard and King Lab.

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