City to Host Annual “Evanston Recycles” Event on June 27

The City will host its annual "Evanston Recycles" event on Saturday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to noon, at Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave.

Each year, this free “drive-up, drop-off” event offers residents the opportunity to recycle and donate a variety of items, as well as securely shred documents. This year, the City will be collecting electronic waste, documents for shredding, and unused prescription medication and expired over-the-counter drugs. 

New in 2026!

Residents from Climate Action Evanston will be volunteering onsite, taking select additional materials to help reuse and recycle items. Please ensure that when transporting these items to the event, they are accessible and separated for easy collection and sorting by volunteers. Accepted items include:

• Bicycles, bike parts, and accessories
• Books, CDs, and DVDs
• Tools (hand or power) in good working condition
• Usable art and office supplies (markers, paint, paper, etc.)
• Lego bricks
• Tennis balls

Directions for Drivers, Cyclists & Pedestrians

Community members participating in the event by car should enter the drop-off line on Church Street west of Dodge Avenue (view map below). Participants are asked to follow the signs to the drop-off area and remain in their cars. Participants are asked not to line up before 8 a.m.

Those who are walking or cycling to the event to drop off their items should proceed directly to the areas marked with an "X" on the map, rather than following the green route designated for drivers. This will allow pedestrians to navigate the event safely and avoid walking through vehicle traffic.

Electronics Recycling

The following electronic materials will be accepted:

• Cell phones
• Computers (PCs and laptops)
• Computer monitors
• DVR/Cable boxes
• DVD and VHS players
• Fax machines
• Mice and keyboards
• MP3 players and PDAs
• Printers and scanners
• TVs
• Video game consoles

Document Shredding and Recycling

Residents can bring up to five banker’s boxes of paper documents to be shredded on-site. Documents should be placed in a box or brown paper bag, and large metal clips and binders should be removed ahead of time. Staples and paper clips are acceptable. Document shredding is not available for businesses.

Medications Disposal

Residentially generated, unused prescription medication and expired over-the-counter drugs will be accepted for disposal. Medications considered to be controlled substances will also be accepted. Participants are asked to follow these guidelines for medication disposal:

• Medicines must be in labeled containers; no loose pills
• No needles or syringes (used or new)
• Multiple medicine bottles should be transported in a clear, re-sealable storage bag

Evanston Recycles is supported by the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC). Electronics recycling and document destruction are open to residents of all Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) communities.

Church Street will be closed to through traffic between McCormick Boulevard and Dodge Avenue during the event. Access will be limited to event-related vehicles only. Attendees should enter from McCormick Boulevard via Church Street, and all exiting traffic will be directed back toward McCormick Boulevard at the end of the event.

For more information, please call or text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents in Evanston may simply dial 3-1-1.