Recycling Directory

Clean aluminum foil and food containers may be placed in any recycling bin around campus or in the dorms. Also, Residential Properties recycles aluminum.

Blue Cart Recycling and City of Chicago Recycling Centers

Applicances are accepted at the University’s e-waste drop-off loations.

• Registered Residential E-Waste Collection Collection Sites
• Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility

You can recycle batteries in the bins around campus, at the following locations:

• Reynolds Club (basement)
• Swift Hall (basement)
• Social Services Administration (lobby)
• Edelstone (entrance)
• Kirsten (2nd floor)
• Gordon Center for Integrated Science (main entrance of A & B wings)
• Hinds (back entrance)
• Biological Sciences Learning Center (2nd floor)
• Cummings Hall (1st floor mail room)
• Young Building (3rd floor)
• All residence hall lobbies

Also at the University's e-waste drop-off locations.

Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility

For additional options please visit Call 2 Recycle

You can place bottle caps in any recycling container on campus.

• Blue Cart Program

There are no building supplies recycling options currently available on campus.

• The Rebuilding Exchange
• Salvage One
• IRN – The Recycling Network

You can place cardboard in any recycling container on campus.

Blue Cart Program

There are currently no locations on campus for recycling carpet.

Shaw Floors recycles any carpet made with nylon 6 fiber.

There are no locations on campus for recycling cars.

• Wheels for Wishes
• 1-800-Charity Cars

CD's are accepted at the University’s e-waste drop-off loations.

• Registered Residential E-Waste Collection Collection Sites
• City of Chicago Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling

• IT Services recycles cell phones, please click here for more info.
• Cell phones are accepted at the University’s e-waste drop-off loations.

AT&T, Best Buy, Office Depot, Sprint, Staples, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless all offer drop-off recycling programs. Please browse their respective websites for more information.

• Registered Residential E-Waste Collection Sites
• City of Chicago Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling

• Encore Resale Store wil accept gently used clothing and what they can’t sell they donate to the Salvation Army
• In the Woodlawn area, you can donate clothing to Unique Thrift Store

Purple Heart

IT Services recycles electronic waste, please click here for more info.

Cell phones are accepted at the University’s e-waste drop-off locations. 

• Registered Residential E-Waste Collection Collection Sites
• City of Chicago Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling

There are currently no cork recycling options available on campus.

Whole Foods stores offer cork drop boxes.

There are no options for recycling cosmetics on campus at this time.

Origins accepts empty cosmetic tubes, bottles, and jars from any manufacture at virtually any Origins location nationwide.
MAC Cosmetics: Back to MAC recycling program

There are no options for recycling eyeglasses on campus at this time.

• Lion's Club International

You can list your furniture on UChicago’s Marketplace.

Please check with your local Goodwill or Salvation Army about recycling furniture. Most recycle a wide variety of furniture.

Brown elephant is another option.

You can place glass in any recycling container on campus.

Blue Cart Recycling and City of Chicago Recycling Centers

There are no resources currently available on campus to dispose of holiday trees.

• Tree recycling locations

There are no resources currently available on campus to dispose of household hazardous waste.

Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility

Toners are accepted at the University’s e-waste drop-off locations. 

• Staples
• Quill
• Chicago Ink & Toner

You can place junk mail (paper/magazines) in any recycling container on campus.

Blue Cart Recycling and City of Chicago Recycling Centers

You can contact Facilities Services if you have fluorescent tubes to recycle. For other kinds of light bulbs, please refer to the sources below.

• Home Depot offers free CFL recycling
• City’s CFL resource

You can list your furniture on UChicago’s Marketplace.

Please check with your local Goodwill or Salvation Army about recycling furniture. Most recycle a wide variety of furniture.

You can list your office supplies on UChicago’s Marketplace.

Please check with your local Goodwill or Salvation Army about reusing office supplies.

There are no resources currently available on campus to dispose of paint.

Latex paint is very costly to recycle, but the empty can is recyclable. The City of Chicago offers advice about leftover paint disposal.

You can place paper in any recycling container on campus.

• Blue Cart Recycling
• City of Chicago Recycling Centers

There are no resources currently available on campus to dispose of pharmaceuticals.

• FDA guidelines 
• Pharmaceutical Drop Off Locations

• You can bring plastic bags to the drop-off boxes in Walgreens on 55 & Lake Park.
• You can bring plastic bags to the drop-off boxes in Hyde Park Produce on 53rd & Woodlawn.

• These stores also accept plastic bags: Jewel-Osco, CVS, Whole Foods, & Target. Please check with the location first.
• You can search for plastic bag drop-off locations by zip code here.

Encore will accept gently used clothing and what they can’t sell they donate to the Salvation Army.

• Share Your Soles
• Fleet Feet
• Nike

Packing peanuts can be recycled at the UPS store at 53rd and Harper.

Most other UPS stores accept styrofoam. Also check with your local pack and ship store.

VHS tapes can be recycled at any of the e-waste drop-off locations around campus.

• Registered Residential E-Waste Collection Collection Sites
• City of Chicago Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling

There are not currently any water filter recycling options on campus.

For TerraFlo filters, you can mail your filters directly to the company for recycling or find a nearby drop off location.

If your filter is not manufactured by TerraFlo, you can empty the charcoal sand into your garden or into the garbage and then place the #5 plastic container in any recycling bin.

All filters are different, so check with the recycler to find out which brands of water filters are accepted.