Recycling Resource Guide
For Households and Businesses
September 2010
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. Go to wilmette.com
for details of the village recycling program. Plastic labeled #6 is
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. See inside 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 (800-YES-1-CAN, http://www.recycle-steel.org/)
or C&R Scrap Iron & Metal (773-585-3030) to recycle
them.
Abt Electronics (1200 Milwaukee Avenue, Glenview, 847-967-8830) now
accepts all TVs for recycling for no charge. They also accept
styrofoam. Call for pick up of large items for a small fee.
Best Buy (9625 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, 847-982-1263) now accepts small
appliances and electronics, maximum two at a time, for a $10
charge, but you receive a $10 Best Buy gift card.
ComEd in partnership with JACO Environmental (888-806-2273 or
http://www.comed.com/) will
accept old refrigerators, freezers and window air conditioning
units. Customers are reimbursed $25 per donation.
Athletic shoes (No dress shoes,
boots or sandals)
Highcrest Middle School (847-853-2900) accepts athletic shoes
September through May.
SWANCC conducts an athletic shoe collection each spring. See
swancc.org or call
847-724-9205.
Sports Authority accepts up to 10 pairs at 7233 W. Dempster St.,
Niles (847-967-7601) or 120 S. Waukegan Rd., Deerfield
(847-272-1200).
One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in
need in Africa, Latin America and Haiti (http://www.oneworldrunning.com/).
Batteries
A Green Horizon at 1148 Central Ave (847-256-2754) accepts
batteries and plastic bottle caps.
Weiss Ace Hardware (1560 Waukegan Rd, Glenview, 847-724-3444)
accepts rechargeable batteries with no charge. They also accept all
kinds of light bulbs and paint. There is a fee for paint
recycling.
Millen’s Hardware at 1219 Wilmette Ave (847-251-3060) will
recycle single use batteries and rechargeable batteries for free
when you purchase new batteries.
All Walgreen’s stores in Chicago and the 900 Dodge Ave. store
in Evanston accept single use and rechargeable batteries for no
charge. Wilmette Walgreen’s does not.
All Radio Shack stores accept rechargeable batteries for no charge.
The closest stores are at 9432 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, 847-676-2076
and 1825 Waukegan Rd., Glenview, 847-724-5540.
Batteries - Car
Wilmette Auto Care (803 Green Bay Rd, Wilmette, 847-256-7766)
accepts car batteries and motor oil.
Bicycles
RRB Cycles (562 Green Bay Rd., Kenilworth, 847-251-7878) accepts
used bikes for recycling. Kids bikes go to the Recyclery in
Chicago. Adult bikes are given to Working Bikes, a cooperative that
sends them all over the world (see workingbikes.org).
The Recyclery (7628 N. Paulina, Chicago, 773-262-5900 or http://www.therecyclery.org/) is
a non-profit organization that seeks to build community through
restoration of donated and discarded bicycles. They also give kids
an opportunity to learn bicycle maintenance and earn their own
bike.
Wilmette Bicycle and Sport Shop (605 Green Bay, 847-251-1404)
accepts used bicycles for a discount towards a new bicycle.
Bottle Caps (Plastic)
A Green Horizon (1148 Central Ave, Wilmette, 847-256-2754) accepts
plastic bottle caps and batteries.
Any Aveda cosmetic store (Old Orchard Aveda, 847-679-1863) accepts
bottle caps. However, do not include medicine lids or tub lids.
CDs and DVDs
To repair damaged CDs, DVDs and Playstation or Nintendo video game
disks, contact AuralTech (888-454-3223 or http://www.auraltech.com/) for
refinishing and they’ll work like new. Also see Misc
Technotrash below.
Game Stop (1865 Tower Dr., Glenview, 847-988-8186 or 920 Church St,
Evanston, 847-328-8606) buys used games for credit towards another
purchase.
To recycle CDs and DVDs, go to cdrecyclingcenter.org. They
recycle large quantities for free.
Cardboard Boxes
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.
Catalogs
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. Repeat it about
once a year to stay off the lists.
Clothes
Wearable clothes
may be donated to Goodwill (708-442-3606 or 847-566-0636) or
Salvation Army (773-477-1300).
Wearable children’s clothes, toys and equipment may be traded
for a discount to Bearly Used (401 Linden near the Linden L
station, 847-256-8700).
Wearable men’s, women’s and children’s clothing
and accessories are accepted at Encore and More (1107 Central Ave,
Wilmette, 847-853-8888). Proceeds benefit the NCJW charity.
Women’s clothing is accepted for a discount at Plato’s
Closet (9448 Skokie Blvd., 847-677-7475).
Wearable women’s business clothing may be donated to Dress
for Success (212-532-1922 or http://www.dressforsuccess.org/),
which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs.
Composting/Organic Waste
Disposal
See wilmette.com for
information about composting in Wilmette. To purchase composting
equipment and a wide variety of other ecologically sound products,
visit the Ecofriendly Marketplace at swancc.org.
Computers and
Electronics
The Village of Wilmette collects small electronics for recycling in
a box located by the entrance to the Village Hall.
Winnetka Public Works offers free electronics drop off (including
TVs and monitors) at the WPW building on Willow Road between 10 -
12 PM on Wednesdays and between 1 - 3 PM Thursdays.
Computers for Schools (pcsforschools.org) accepts all
types of computers for use by schools.
Best Buy (9625 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, 847-982-1263) now accepts small
appliances and electronics, maximum two at a time, for a $10
charge, but you receive a $10 Best Buy gift card.
Free Geek Chicago (3411 W. Diversey, Chicago, 773-451-7130)
provides free computers for underserved communities. You can donate
a computer for a tax deduction. Pick up is free.
Midwest Computer Recycling in Lake Bluff (101 W. Skokie Valley Hwy
in Lake Bluff, 847-582-1730 or ez2recycle.com) accepts any
electronics with a computer chip. This includes computers,
scanners, printers, monitors, mice, keyboards, cables and
accessories. It does not include TVs, unless they are in working
order. They also accept CDs and DVDs for recycling. Computer hard drives are carefully erased for
a $10 fee using WipeDrive PRO before recycling
components.
Staples (1509 Waukegan Rd in Glenview) recycles monitors,
computers, keyboards, speakers and laptops.
The Wilmette Post Office now has prepaid envelopes for mailing
small electronics (like cell phones and MP3 players) for recycling.
Just put the stuff in the envelope, and drop it in a mailbox!
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 Remodeling
Disposables
Falcon Group (773-807-7604), a local green construction and
remodelling company, will pick up your construction waste or advise
you of recycling contacts for various items.
Habitat for Humanity (800-643-7845) will pick up your discarded
sinks, kitchen cabinets, and usable construction waste.
Cork
The Bottle Shop (847-256-7777) in Wilmette accepts wine bottle
corks. Natural cork is now rare.
Document Destruction
Go to swancc.org and visit the
RECYCLING tab to look up the complete schedule of document
destruction events planned for all of the SWANCC member
communities.
To find an on site document destruction company for home or
business, visit the National Association for Information
Destruction (naidonline.com) or go to ecoshred.com for general
information.
Drugs - Prescription and
OTC
Plaza del Lago Pharmacy (1515 Sheridan Road, Wilmette,
847-256-3950) accepts unused drugs.
Prescription and OTC drugs can be dropped off on the second Tuesday
of 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.
Eyeglasses
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.
Foam Packing Peanuts
Most UPS Stores (1187 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette or 3223 Lake Avenue
in West Lake Plaza or 2859 Central St., Evanston) will accept used
packing peanuts and clean bubble wrap for reuse.
Hazardous Chemical
Waste
Contact SWANCC at 847-724-9205 (swancc.org) for the list of upcoming
local collections or go to http://www.epa.state.il.us/.
Holiday Lights
Drop off unwanted holiday lights at Wilmette Public Works on
Laramie during the winter months. Drop off at Winnetka Public Works
on Willow Rd. all year around.
You can mail in your old energy-inefficient holiday light strings
to receive a 15% off coupon for LED light purchases. Go to holidayled.com or environmentallights.com.
Home Environmental
Services
Falcon Group (773-807-7604), a local green construction and
remodelling company, will pick up your construction waste or advise
you of recycling contacts for various items.
Connor Smith (connor@codegreenlights.com)
will clean out your old paint cans, pick up TVs and computers for
recycling and provide help with clean-up chores. Contact him for
price information.
Ice Skating Rink Tarps (e.g. used
for lining home made ice skating rinks)
Local construction company Witt Brothers (847-251-4250) accepts
tarps for use at construction sites.
Ink and Toner
Cartridges
Walgreen’s will refill your ink cartridges for a fee,
including color cartridges.
Most Wilmette school lobbies have recycling bins for ink
cartridges. The cartridge deposit fees are collected by the school
and used for school programs.
Office Max (2211 Willow Rd, Glenview or 5507 W. Touhy, Skokie) and
Staples (1509 Waukegan, Glenview) accept cartridges for a
discount.
Light Bulbs - CFL and
Fluorescent
Compact fluorescent light bulbs or standard fluorescent bulbs can
be dropped off on the second 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.
Weiss Ace Hardware (1560 Waukegan Rd, Glenview, 847-724-3444) will
accept all lights bulbs for recycling with no charge. They also
accept rechargeable batteries and paint. There is a fee for paint
recycling.
You may also drop off used bulbs at Millen Hardware, 1219 Wilmette
Ave., 847-251-3060. They will recycle them for $.80 if you just
drop them off or free if you buy the 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
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.
Miscellaneous
Technotrash
For $30, GreenDisk (800-305-GREENDISK or http://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.
Motor Oil
Wilmette Auto Care (803 Green Bay Rd, Wilmette, 847-256-7766)
accepts motor oil and car batteries.
Paint
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.
Millen Hardware (1219 Wilmette Ave.,847-251-3060) accepts old paint
for a small fee.
Weiss Ace Hardware (1560 Waukegan Rd, Glenview, 847-724-3444) will
accept paint for recycling for a fee. They also accept all light
bulbs and rechargeable batteries without charge.
Phones
Best Buy (9625 Skokie Blvd, Skokie or 1072 Willow, Glenview) and
Staples (1509 Waukegan Rd, Glenview) accept 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 http://www.calltoprotect.org/)
in which they reprogram used cell phones to dial 911 and give them
to domestic violence victims. Visit http://www.donateaphone.com/ for
collection point in the area. Tax receipts are available.
Plant Containers
West End Florist and Nursery (3800 Glenview Rd., 847-475-1933)
accepts all plastic plant containers.
Plastic Bags
Place a recycling bag in your pantry or below your sink for
plastics recycling. Drop off the contents every few weeks at any
Jewel or Dominicks Food Store or at Wilmette Tailors and Cleaners
at 819 Ridge Rd (847-251-2433). Any clean clear or opaque plastic
bags can be recycled, including cleaners bags, clean grocery bags,
clean sandwich or storage bags.
Propane Tanks
Millen Hardware at 1219 Wilmette Ave (847-251-3060) will exchange
propane tanks when you need a refill. If you have a propane tank to
get rid of, Millen’s will recycle it for a small fee.
Scrap Metal
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. Or contact one of the following for pick up:
Steel Recycling Institute (800-YES-1-CAN, http://www.recycle-steel.org/)
C&R Scrap Iron & Metal (773-585-3030)
Premier Metals Recycling (773-927-3097)
Sharps
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 the second Tuesday each month. Call for dates or go to
wilmette.com.
Sports Equipment
Resell or trade in your used equipment at Play It Again Sports at
525 Waukegan Rd in Northbrook (847-564-9180) or 1325 N. Rand Rd in
Palatine (847-221-2672). They will pick up.
Styrofoam
Abt Electronics (1200 Milwaukee Avenue, Glenview, 847-967-8830)
accepts styrofoam for recycling. They now accept all TVs for no
charge. Call for pick up of large items for a small fee.
Tarps (e.g. used to line home ice
skating rinks)
Local construction company Witt Brothers (847-251-4250) recycles
tarps for use at construction sites.
Tennis Balls
Centennial Tennis recycles tennis balls, sending some to nursing
homes and some to rebounces.com which repumps the balls
for reuse in schools, etc.
Tires
Most service stations accept worn tires to be recycled and used for
playground surfaces.
Tyvek Envelopes
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 over 25, call 866-33-TYVEK.
TVs
Winnetka Public Works offers free electronics drop off (including
TVs and monitors) at the WPW building on Willow Road between 10 -
12 PM on Wednesdays and between 1 - 3 PM Thursdays.
For disposal of working TVs, donate to Salvation Army
(773-477-1300) or Goodwill (708-442-3603 or 847-566-0636). For
non-working TVs, there are several options. SWANCC (swancc.org) accepts TVS under
27" and will pick them up along with other electronics
for a $25 fee.
Abt Electronics (1200 Milwaukee Avenue, Glenview, 847-967-8830) now
accepts all TVs for recycling for no charge. They also accept
styrofoam. Call for pick up of large items for a small fee.
Best Buy (9625 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, 847-982-1263) now accepts small
appliances and electronics, maximum two at a time, for a $10
charge, but you receive a $10 Best Buy gift card.
Vases
Morning Glory at 1135 ½ Central (847-256-2575) accepts flower
vases of all sizes.
Additional Recycling
Resources
To join the free local Wilmette giveaway and recycling program, go
to WilmetteFreeCycle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
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 wilmette.com for a
detailed description of the village household recycling program.
See the Home Environmental Services section of this guide to get
help with home clean up projects. Visit swancc.org for their Recycling
resources online guide with many ideas for recycling in the broader
metropolitan area.
Change light bulbs:
Replace incandescent lights bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL)
bulbs. Don’t wait for old bulbs to burn out. Make this change
today. Dispose of old CFL bulbs properly by recycling them (or
saving them until recycling programs exist.)
Drive less, drive smart:
Drive a fuel-efficient car, keep tires inflated, carpool and reduce
your speed. Don’t idle while waiting. Walk, bike or use
public transportation instead. Support funding for mass transit. Be
mindful of how far the things you buy have been transported.
Reduce your home’s
heating/cooling needs: Use a programmable thermostat, turn
the temperature down two degrees in the winter, up two in the
summer. Use proper insulation. Use fuel-efficient furnaces and air
conditioners. Keep filters clean or replace them.
Reduce your water use:
Use less water in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and yard. Use
plants that are drought tolerant. Don’t water your yard.
Buy energy efficient
electronics and appliances: Replace old ones now with Energy
Star models. See if you can get by without that second refrigerator
or freezer. Review your electric and gas bills and try to reduce
them.
Turn off electric
devices: Unplug appliances when not in use, including
chargers. Plug music and audiovisual electronics into power strips
that can be easily switched off.
Buy locally and/or organically
grown food: Be aware of how far your food travels to your
table and how it is grown. Use a tote bag. Eat low on the food
chain.
Plant a tree: Maintain a
green lawn and garden with native plants. Reduce your use of
chemicals and gas-powered machines. Be sure to discuss this with
your yard service.
Reduce, reuse, and
recycle: Cut back on consumption. Encourage recycling in
your home, at your office and at businesses and restaurants you
patronize. Buy recycled products. Compost your yard waste. Be an
environmentally-mindful consumer.
Be part of the solution:
Take action today. Inspire others. Raise children who care about
the earth. Join and support environmental groups, both national and
local. Join or start an environmental group in your town.