info@gogreenwilmette.org
PO Box 954 Wilmette, IL
Recycling Resource Guide
For Households and Businesses
This guide provides information about how to recycle various items in the Wilmette area most efficiently. The easiest way to get rid of most things is through our regular curbside pick up program in Wilmette (see Wilmette.com for more information). Recycling bins and lids can be purchased at Village Hall for $5 and $3. Remember: aerosol cans, used car batteries and used motor oil (placed in clear plastic container) are part of the curbside pickup program. Plastic labeled #6 are now being recycled in the Wilmette program but this includes only Styrofoam cups and plastic clamshell food containers. Plastic bags and paint are not part of the regular pick up program. Keep reading for ideas for recycling these and many other items -- locally!
Appliances
Goodwill (708-442-3606 or 847-566-0636) or Salvation Army (773-477-1300) accept working appliances. Or contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them (800-YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org)
Athletic shoes (No dress shoes, boots or sandals)
SWANCC conducts an athletic shoe collection each spring. See swancc.org or call 847-724-9205 for drop off schedule.
Sports Authority accepts up to 10 pairs at the following local outlets:
7233 W. Dempster St., Niles, 847-967-7601
120 S. Waukegan Rd., Deerfield, 847-272-1200
Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring (www.nikereuseashoe.com).
One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America and Haiti (www.oneworldrunning.com).
Batteries
Ritz Camera (847-251-8363) located in Edens Plaza accepts both single use and rechargeable batteries for recycling at no cost. Unwanted computers and electronics may also be deposited there.
Millen's Hardware at 1219 Wilmette Ave (847-251-3060) and Linden Hardware at 411 Linden (847-251-2841) both have recycling containers for single use batteries and rechargeable batteries near their check out stations. You may also deposit unwanted electronic cables in these bins. Ritz Camera assists with the disposal of these bins' contents.
Bicycles
RRB Cycles (847-251-7878) in Kenilworth accepts used bikes for recycling. Kids bikes go to the Recyclery in Evanston, where kids are taught to repair the bikes and then get to take one home. Adult bikes are given to Working Bikes, a cooperative that sends them all over the world to improve transportation (see workingbikes.org).
Wilmette Bicycle and Sport Shop (605 Green Bay Road, 847-251-1404) will accept used bicycles and provide a discount towards a new bicycle. They also sell used bikes.
CDs
To repair damaged CDs, DVDs and Playstation or Nintendo video game disks, contact AuralTech (888-454-3223 or www.auraltech.com) for refinishing, and they'll work like new. Also see Miscellaneous Technotrash below.
Game Stop will buy used games and give credit towards another purchase. They are located at:
Cardboard Boxes
Catalogs
Clothes
Wearable children's clothes and toys may be traded to Bearly Used at 401 Linden near the Linden L station (847-256-8700).
Wearable women's business clothing may be donated to Dress for Success (212-532-1922 or www.dressforsuccess.org), which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs.
Computers and Electronics
SWANCC (swancc.org) has occasional free drop off days. Or, to schedule a $25 individual household or business pick-up, call 847-724-9205 ext 9. Acceptable materials include personal computers, monitors, CPUs, printers, scanners, fax machines, electric typewriters, answering machines, shredders, postage machines, TVs (maximum 27"), VHS/DVD players, radios, stereo equipment, microwaves, cell phones and calculators. A maximum of 6 items per pick-up is allowed, not counting cell phones and calculators.
Construction and Remodelling Waste
Drugs -- Prescription and OTC
Eyeglasses
Exercise Videos
Foam Packing Peanuts
Hazardous Chemical Waste
Ink and Toner Cartridges
Light Bulbs - CFL and Fluorescent
You may also drop off used bulbs at Millen's Hardware, 1219 Wilmette Ave., 846-251-3060. They will recycle them for $.80 if you just drop them off or for free if you buy the same number of bulbs you drop off.
For your information, CFLs contain a trace amount of mercury -- about 4 mg on average. For comparison, a mercury thermometer contains about 500 mg. There is no release of mercury at any time unless the bulb breaks. If a CFL does break in your home, clean-up instructions are available at the USEPA's website http://www.energystar.gov/.
Light Fixtures
Miscellaneous Technotrash
Paint
Phones
The following local stores collect cell phones:
Motorola allows you to earn money for you company, school or organization by mailing in cell phones (888-390-6866 or www.motorola.com/racetorecycle)
Wireless Foundation has a program called Call to Protect (888-901-SAFE or www.calltoprotect.org) in which they reprogram used cell phones to dial 911 and give them to domestic violence victims. Visit www.donateaphone.com for collection point in the area. Tax receipts are available.
Plastic Bags
Propane Tanks
Scrap Metal
Sharps
Sports Equipment
Tires
Tyvek Envelopes
Vases
Additional Recycling Resources
To join the free local Wilmette giveaway and recycling program, go to freecycle.org and join the Wilmette user group. You will receive notification of items that people are giving away in Wilmette and be able to post your own giveaway items as well. It is a great way to give and get stuff free and keep stuff recycling locally.
Visit swancc.org for their Recycling resources online guide with many ideas for recycling in the broader metropolitan area.
Visit Wilmette.com for a detailed description of the village household recycling program.
This guide is updated periodically by Go Green Wilmette. If you have suggestions for updates, please email them to Anne Wieboldt at annew@gogreenwilmette.org or Margrit Kuehn at margritk@gogreenwilmette.org.
Game Stop, 1865 Tower Drive, Glenview, 847-988-8186
Game Stop, 920 Church St., Evanston, 847-328-8606
If your workplace collects at least 100 good quality cardboard boxes each month, contact UsedCardBoardBoxes.com and they will arrange to pick them up at no cost and will resell them.
To reduce the number of catalogs you receive (and to be kind to your mailman!), go to catalogchoice.org to request that your name be removed from the mass catalog mailing lists. The online process takes about 20 minutes to complete. You must repeat it about once a year to stay off the lists.
Wearable clothes may be donated to Goodwill (708-442-3606 or 847-566-0636) or Salvation Army (773-477-1300).
Ritz Camera (847-251-8363, located in Edens Plaza half way between Borders and Carson's) will accept computers and electronics for recycling at no charge. This includes computers, anything with a computer chip, scanners, printers, monitors, mice, keyboards, cables and accessories. It does not include TVs, unless they are in working order. Computer hard drives are carefully erased using WipeDrive PRO before recycling a computer's components. Ritz Camera operator Bill Gunn recycles through Midwest Computer Recycling in Lake Bluff ((847-582-1730 or ez2recycle.com) and serves as a central drop off location for this recycling company.
Habitat for Humanities (800-643-7845) will pick up your discarded sink, kitchen cabinets, etc.
Prescription and OTC drugs can be dropped off on one Tuesday each month in the Health Department at the Wilmette Village Hall. This is a monitored drop off station to ensure safe handling of drugs. For information about upcoming Tuesday dates, call Diane Bader at 847-853-7507 or visit wilmette.com. The hours of the Health Department are 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM. They also accept sharps in sealed containers and CFL and fluorescent light bulbs.
The Wilmette Recreation Center has an eyeglass collection box for Hadley School for the Blind at the front desk. Pearle Vision at 9240 Skokie Blvd in Skokie (847-673-3500) also accepts used eyewear.
Swap your old videos and DVDs with others at www.videofitness.com.
Most UPS Stores will accept used packing peanuts and clean bubble wrap for reuse. There are three convenient locations:
1187 Wilmette Ave in downtown Wilmette
3223 Lake Ave in West Lake Plaza
2859 Central Street in Evanston
Contact SWANCC at 847-724-9205 (swancc.org) for the list of upcoming local collections or go to www.epa.state.il.us.
Most Wilmette school lobbies have recycling bins for ink cartridges. The cartridge deposit fees are collected by the school and used for school programs. Or, the following local office supply stores accept cartridges for a discount:
Office Depot, 2722 Green Bay Road next to Dominick's
Office Depot, 9426 Skokie Blvd in the Skokie Fashion Square Mall
Office Max, 2211 Willow Rd in the Willow Creek Retail Center
Office Max, 5507 N. Touhy in Village Crossing Shopping Center
Staples, 1509 Waukegan Rd in Glenview
Staples, 4825 Golf in Skokie
Compact fluorescent light bulbs or standard flueorescent bulbs can be dropped off on one Tuesday each month in the Health Department at the Wilmette Village Hall between the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM. This is a monitored drop off to ensure safe handling. For information about upcoming Tuesday dates, call Diane Bader at 847-853-7507 or visit wilmette.com. They also accept unused prescription and OTC drugs and sharps.
The Bellows Shoppe (847-446-5533) at 148 Gage St. in Winnetka and Urban Totem at 1937 Central St. in Evanston will sell used high end fixtures on consignment. Call for more information.
For $30, GreenDisk (800-305-GREENDISK or www.greendisk.com) will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the following: CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, cell phones, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, ink/toner cartridges. The fee covers the box and shipping and recycling fees.
Latex paint, or water based paints, can be placed in your own trash receptacles after drying out the remaining product using kitty litter or shredded paper. Dry out empty cans in an open area and place in trash bins. Contact SWANCC at 847-724-9205 (swancc.org) for local drop off locations and dates for other kinds of paint and hazardous chemical waste.
Best Buy, 9625 Skokie Blvd in Skokie
Best Buy, 1072 Willow in Glenview
Staples, 1509 Waukegan Rd in Glenview
Staples, 4825 Golf in Skokie
Place a recycling bag in your pantry or below your sink for plastics recycling. Drop off the contents every few weeks at Jewel, Green Bay Rd, Wilmette or
Wilmette Tailors and Cleaners at 819 Ridge Rd (847-251-2433). Any clean clear or opaque plastic bags including cleaners bags, clean grocery bags, clean sandwich bags or storage bags can be recycled.
Millen's Hardware (and many other outlets) will exchange propane tanks when you need a refill. If you have a propane tank to get rid of, Millen's will recycle it. If the top handle is triangular, they recycle for free. If the top handle is the older round type, they charge $5 to recycle it. Millen's is located at 1219 Wilmette Avenue and can be reached at 847-251-3060.
If you have a large item that is made of steel, try putting it out at your curb for a few days for the scrap metal collectors who troll the neighborhoods regularly. You can also try leaving out large items of furniture for salvage companies to collect at no charge.
Sharps are collected Monday through Friday in the Health Department at the Wilmette Village Hall. Sharps products must be placed in a biohazard container or in a capped liquid detergent bottle sealed with duct tape. The sealed full container may be dropped off from 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM at the Health Department or at Fire Station #1, 1304 Lake Ave. If you have questions regarding the Wilmette sharps collection program, call Diane Bader at 847-853-7507. They also collect CFL and fluorescent bulbs and unused prescription and OTC drugs on one Tuesday each month. Call for dates or go to the village website at wilmette.com.
Resell or trade in your used equipment at Play It Again Sports. Equipment must be clean and in good condition. They will even pick up from your home.
Play It Again Sports, 525 Waukegan Rd, Northbrook in Brookside Plaza (847-564-9180)
Play It Again Sports, 1325 N. Rand Rd, Palatine (847-221-2672)
Inquire at your local service station about dropping off tires. Most service stations schedule pick ups of worn tires to be used for playground surfaces.
For quantities less than 25, send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. For quantities larger than 25, call 866-33-TYVEK.
Mille De Fleurs at 821 Ridge Road (847-251-7727) will recycle flower vases of all sizes for a discount. Collect your vases and drop them off there.