On campus and in the City of Chicago, you can recycle a huge array of items—from cardboard to computers. This directory can help you learn where to recycle everything from packing peanuts to shoes. To streamline your search, we’ve listed where things can be recycled on campus (if possible) and in Chicago. Also, be sure to check the City of Chicago’s recycling directory or the Recycling Manual for the 47th Ward for additional resources. If you’re dealing with construction debris, please go here.
Pass on this directory to you friends and email us if you have any additions/edits.

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

Appliances

Batteries
You can recycle batteries in the bins around campus, at the following locations:
- 1155 E 60th Street (1st Floor Café)
- All residence hall lobbies
- Anatomy (1st floor near mailboxes)
- Biological Sciences Learning Center (2nd floor)
- Cummings Hall (1st floor mail room)
- Edelstone (entrance)
- Gordon Center for Integrated Science (main entrance of A & B wings)
- Hinds (back entrance)
- Keller Center (Lower Level, Room 0002, Student Kitchenette Area)
- Kirsten (2nd floor)
- Physics Research Building (south entrance vestibule)
- Press Building (north lobby)
- Social Services Administration (lobby)
- Swift Hall (basement)
- Young Building (3rd floor)
- Zoology (1st floor outside of room 114)
Also at the University's e-waste drop-off locations.
Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility
For additional options please visit Call 2 Recycle

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

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

Cardboard
You can place cardboard in any recycling container on campus.

Carpet
There are currently no locations on campus for recycling carpet.
Shaw Floors recycles any carpet made with nylon 6 fiber.

Cars
There are no locations on campus for recycling cars.

Cell Phones
- 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.

Clothing and Fabric
- 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

Computers and Electronic Waste
IT Services recycles electronic waste, please click here for more info.
Cell phones are accepted at the University’s e-waste drop-off locations.

Cork
There are currently no cork recycling options available on campus.
Whole Foods stores offer cork drop boxes.

Cosmetics
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

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

Furniture
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.

Glass
You can place glass in any recycling container on campus.

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

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

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

Light Bulbs
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

Mattresses
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.

Office Supplies
You can list your office supplies on UChicago’s Marketplace.
Please check with your local Goodwill or Salvation Army about reusing office supplies.

Paint
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.

Paper
You can place paper in any recycling container on campus.

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

Plastic Bags
- 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.

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

Styrofoam

Water Filters
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.