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Special Collection Services
The vast majority of items that need to be disposed of in a home can be donated for reuse, placed in the trash or placed in your recycling container. There are, however, a host of special items that Evanston will not allow in either its trash or recycling carts. This page highlights what options there are for dealing with those items.
Return to the Trash, Recycling, and Yard Waste Services main page.
Please Note: Batteries will no longer be collected within the City of Evanston facilities. Please click on "Electronic Collection" for more details.
Click on the topics below to learn more about the following:
The City offers a variety of holiday related services, including holiday recycling services.
Holiday Light Recycling
The City of Evanston provides seasonal holiday light recycling along with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
Throughout the duration of the program, normally December 1 - January 31 each year, holiday string lighting and extension cords can be dropped off for recycling at the Evanston Ecology Center, the Robert Crown Center, and the Levy Senior Center. The is supported by the City of Evanston, SWANCC and Elgin Recycling.
Evanston Levy Senior Center
300 Dodge Ave. , Evanston 60202
Ecology Center
2024 McCormick Blvd., Evanston 60201
Robert Crown Center
1801 Main Str., Evanston 60202
Additional details related to the program are published each year prior to the event kick-off, normally in November, please check back then.
Holiday Tree Recycling
City of Evanston crews provide holiday tree recycling collection. This year's service will begin January 2nd and end February 2nd.
The City of Evanston does NOT collect hazardous waste materials.
Evanston community members are asked to help preserve our environment by taking advantage of hazardous waste collection sites around Chicagoland, provided by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).
Upcoming Household Chemical Waste Collections in the area
Year-round facilities include:
Chicago's Household Chemical & Computer Recycling Facility
1150 N Branch Street
7:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursdays: 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
1st Saturday of the month: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
NO LATEX PAINT
Naperville
Household Hazardous Waste Facility
156 Fort Hill Dr.
Naperville, IL 60540
9:00 am to 2:00 pm Saturday and Sunday
630-420-6095
Naperville.il.us
NO LATEX PAINT
Rockford
Rock River Reclamation District
3333 Kishwaukee
8:00 am to 4:00 pm Saturday
12:00 pm to 4:00 pm Sunday
(815) 387-7400
Knib.org
NO LATEX PAINT
Use these sites to dispose of: aerosol paints, antifreeze, cleaning products, drain cleaners, fluorescent lamp bulbs, hobby chemicals, oil-based paints, insecticides, lawn chemicals, old gasoline, paint thinners, pool chemicals, pesticides, solvents, used motor oil and herbicides. Unacceptable wastes include: latex paints, agricultural wastes, farm machinery oil, explosives, fire extinguishers, fireworks, lead acid batteries, propane tanks, smoke detectors, institutional wastes, and business/commercial sector wastes. Although the IEPA's contractors do not accept automotive batteries, propane tanks or fire extinguishers, cosponsors may elect to contact a vendor willing to set up and accept these materials on the day of the collection event.
Call ILEPA at (217) 524-3300, for questions concerning collection sites or materials being accepted.
The Illinois EPA no longer accepts latex paints. Disposal methods recommended by the IEPA include using up your paint or drying it out by stirring in kitty litter, shredded paper or sand and leaving the lid off until it has hardened. Residents can throw the dried paint out in the trash.
Learn more about latex paint disposal from the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County.
Starting January 2012, the Electronics Products Recycling and Reuse Act (SB2313) will be in effect in Illinois, banning certain electronic items, predominantly computers and televisions, from its landfills.
According to the U.S. EPA, consumer electronics, including TVs and other video equipment, computers(excluding desktops)*, assorted peripherals, audio equipment, and phones, make up almost 2% of the municipal solid waste stream. Although electronics comprise a small percentage of the total solid waste stream, the quantity of electronic waste that we are generating is steadily increasing.
In 1998, the National Safety Council Study estimated about 20 million computers became obsolete in one year. Fast forward to 2007, that number has more than doubled according to EPA's most recent estimates.
Recycling electronics helps reduce pollution that would be generated while manufacturing a new product and the need to extract valuable and limited virgin resources. It also reduces the energy used in new product manufacturing.
Local Electronic Waste Recycling Drop off Programs
The City of Evanston has partnered with Recycling Avenue, an organization that provides job opportunities for the physically challenged, to collect electronic waste for recycling.
Community members may drop off cable receivers, cell phones, computer monitors, computers (notebooks, tablets, laptop)* and MP3 players for recycling at the following locations during normal business hours:
Levy Senior Center
300 Dodge Ave
(847) 448-8250
M - F: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Evanston Ecology Center
2024 McCormick Blvd., Evanston, IL 60201
P: (847)448-8256
F: (847)448-8805
ecologycenter@cityofevanston.orgMon.-Fri.: 8:30am-5pm
Other electronic materials such as small household appliances (toasters, blenders, coffee makers, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, lamps and stereo equipment) can be thrown away in the garbage if they cannot be donated for reuse or recycled through other entities.
*Desktop computers are no longer accepted at Levy Senior Center or Evanston Ecology Center
Weekly SWANCC Resident Drop-Off Locations:
The following location hosts weekly electronics collections for residents who live in any SWANCC member community. There is NO FEE for this service and unloading assistance is provided. Collection locations will be closed on national holidays and in severe weather.
Only Residents of SWANCC member communities may particape in events. IDs will be checked. Do not drop off electronics other than during posted dates and times.
Glenview Transfer Station
3 Providence Way, Des Plaines
Located on the east side of Des Plaines River Road, 1/4 mile north of Central road, directly across from the Maryville Academy.
Saturdays: 9:00 am - 11:30 am
Open Year-Round
Closed June 5, July 10, September 11, November 27, December 25, January 1.
Hoffman Estates Village Hall
1900 Hassell Road
Mondays: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
April 5 to November 15, 2021
CLOSED May 31, July 5, September 6
Mount Prospect Public Works
1700 West Central Road
Wednesdays: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
April 14 to October 25, 2021
Winnetka Public Works
1390 Willow Road
Thursdays: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
April 8 to November 18, 2021
Batteries will no longer be collected within the City of Evanston facilities.
Can alkaline batteries be disposed of in the garbage? Yes
"According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, household alkaline batteries, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, etc., are benign by design, haven't contained mercury or other heavy metals for over 20 years, and are approved to be put in the trash. However, rechargeable batteries contain heavy metals and mercury and should be recycled. Visit http://www.swancc.org/recycling-directory-faqs for battery recycling options."
Call2Recycle partners with retail stores such as Best Buy, Home depot and Lowes that accept lithium primary and rechargeable batteries only - NO alkaline batteries! Go to call2recycle.org/locator to find a location and for more information.
The City of Evanston is cooperating with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) and has begun accepting drop-offs of spent compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) for recycling.
The City of Evanston is cooperating with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) and has begun accepting drop-offs of spent compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) for recycling.
Community members may drop off their CFLs at:
Ecology Center
2024 McCormick Blvd., Evanston 60201
847-448-8256
ecologycenter@cityofevanston.org
Mon.-Fri.: 8:30am-5pm
Bring the bulbs in zip-style baggies.
The City of Evanston DOES NOT take CFLs generated on a commercial, institutional or school district basis.
Each CFL contains a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing, an average of five milligrams (roughly equivalent to the tip of a ball-point pen). Mercury poses potential health risks, therefore the CFLs should not be disposed of in the garbage if there is a recycling option.
Because there is such a small amount of mercury in CFLs, a person’s greatest risk if a bulb breaks is getting cut from glass shards! Research indicates that there is no immediate health risk should a bulb break and it is cleaned up properly.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends the use of CFLs when compared to incandescent bulbs for the following reasons:
- They produce the same amount of light, but use 2/3 less energy and last 10 times longer.
- Each CFL bulb can save you at least $25 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.
- CFLs produce about 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent bulbs and are cool to the touch.
- CFLs reduce air pollution for a cleaner environment.
If every Illinois household replaced one incandescent bulb with an 18-watt CFL, the results would be equivalent to: removing 294,000 tons of carbon emissions from the air; planting 39.4 million trees; removing over 74,000 vehicles from Illinois roads each year.
For more information on CFLs, visit www.swancc.org or call 847-724-9205.
Medication disposal is available at the Police Headquarters, and sharps/needle disposal is available at the Fire Headquarters.
Needles/Sharps Disposal
Needles and sharps can be dropped off at the Evanston Fire Department, 909 Lake St., Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sharps/needles must be in a sealed sharps container. City employees cannot touch individual sharps.
Medication Disposal
As part of a program established by the Evanston Police Department (EPD) and the Save A Star Drug Awareness Foundation, residents can dispose of unwanted or unused medications in the pill collection unit located in the front lobby of the Evanston Police Department, 1454 Elmwood Ave. The building is open 24 hours a day for medication and prescription drug drop-offs.
The following items are acceptable for disposal:
- Prescription medications, including controlled substances
- Over-the-counter and pet medications
- Samples
- Vitamins
- Liquids and creams
The following items are unacceptable for disposal in the collection unit:
- Needles/sharps (see above; needles/sharps accepted at Fire Dept.)
- Thermometers
- IV bags
- Bloody waste
- Hydrogen peroxide.
Mercury Thermometer Disposal
Thermometers can only be disposed by contacting SWANCC directly.
For more information on these SWANCC programs, contact SWANCC (847) 724-9205, info@swancc.org or visit www.swancc.org.
