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About Evanston

Office of Sustainability

WASTE

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
According to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEAP), residents of Illinois produce an average of 5.5 pounds of garbage everyday. There are no landfills left in northern Cook County, our garbage goes instead to a landfill in Wisconsin.

 

Up to 75% of what is sent to the landfill could be reused, recycled or composted instead. Many materials including paper, glass, plastic and metal, can be recycled into new products, reducing the need to extract new resources. Recycling materials can be up to 40% less expensive per ton than disposing of it in a landfill.

City Examples:

The City recycled the existing concrete base into subgrade aggregate material in the McCormick Boulevard renovation project. This kept waste from the landfill and prevented emission pollution from additional truck hauling. The project saved the city a total of $259,000 in material and transportation costs.

 

The City of Evanston uses the maximum amount of recycled asphalt pavement allowed by IDOT (up to 15% on finished paving course and 25% on leveling binder) in all street resurfacing projects.

 

The City is drafting a new purchasing manual that will include City guidelines for sustainable purchasing practices.

 

The City recycles all of its used toner cartridges and purchases refilled and under utilized cartridges.

 

Trashbusters, an annual event held since 2002, encourages City employees to take one day out of the year to clean their files, organize their workspace and recycle old documents. At the 2006 event, the City collected and recycled almost one ton of paper.

 

What can you do?

Reduce:

  • Purchase permanent items instead of disposables. Consider renting or leasing instead of purchasing for items that you will only use short term.
  • Look for products with less packaging and recyclable or reusable packaging. Often buying products in bulk reduces the amount of packaging used – products with individually wrapped single servings have more packaging.   
  • Buy products that are made with recyclable or sustainable materials. Look for the recycled content symbol and try to buy products with post-consumer recycled content as much as possible.

Reuse:

  • Purchase products made with durable, fixable, long lasting materials and parts as much as possible and have them repaired instead of replaced when parts break.
  • Use cloth napkins or towels instead of paper. Take a travel mug with you when going out for coffee and reduce the need for disposable paper or foam cups. Buy or make a set of cloth bags or reuse paper or plastic bags when going to the grocery store.
  • Buy products secondhand instead of new. Donate unused items to people you know or to charity instead of throwing them away.

Recycle:

  • Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. Evanston collects recycling once a week for residential (4-6 units or less) customers. If you live or work in a building that doesn’t have weekly pick-up service, take recyclables to the Evanston Recycling Center at 2222 Oakton Street. The center is open on Fridays from noon - 7 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 am - 5 pm.
  • For everything else, try Earth911 to locate the closest drop-off sites for everything from electronics, batteries and cell phones to fluorescent bulbs, latex paint and used motor oil.
  • Compost food scraps, grass and other yard clippings.
  • Close the loop - buy recycled products and products that use recycled packaging. That's what makes recycling economically possible.

Additional Waste Reduction Resources:

City of Evanston Division of Streets and Sanitation
Keep Evanston Beautiful
Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
Illinois Recycling Association
IL Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA)
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)