ARLINGTON HEIGHTS · BARRINGTON · BUFFALO GROVE · ELK GROVE VILLAGE EVANSTON · GLENCOE · GLENVIEW · HOFFMAN ESTATES · INVERNESS KENILWORTH · LINCOLNWOOD · MORTON GROVE · MOUNT PROSPECT · NILES PALATINE · PARK RIDGE · PROSPECT HEIGHTS · ROLLING MEADOWS · SKOKIE SOUTH BARRINGTON · WHEELING · WILMETTE · WINNETKA

November 15, 2023

What is Recycling?

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials, that would usually be thrown away, into new materials and objects.

Why is Recycling Important? (US EPA)

• Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators.
• It conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals.
• Economic security increases by using domestic sources of materials.
• The environment benefits from less mining of raw materials and less pollution.
• Energy is saved by using known resources instead of harvesting and manufacturing new ones.
• Recycling supports American manufacturing and conserves valuable resources.
• Jobs, wages, and tax revenues increase due to recycling.

What is America Recycles Day?

America Recycles Day wasn’t always a national day. It began in Texas, where two employees of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality decided to celebrate Texas Recycles Day. This day was supposed to spread information about recycling in the state and encourage more people to recycle their waste.

These employees, Kevin Teurff and Valerie Davis, proposed the change of Texas Recycles Day to America Recycles Day in 1997. The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) accepted the proposal and America Recycles Day was born! Each year the President declares the day and encourages the commitment to recycling.

Over the years, the NRC and Keep America Beautiful has worked on educating and encouraging individuals to be more mindful of what they consume, where and how to properly recycle, and to pledge to recycle right in their everyday lives. Currently, there are over 3,000 events throughout all 50 states!

What Can I Do?

Repurpose or reuse old items. Consider shopping at secondhand stores. Avoid single-use water bottles, and other plastics; instead use re-usable drinking bottles, cups, containers, and bags.

Recycling can be confusing and not everyone knows that there is a right and wrong way to recycle - but there is! In fact, one of the biggest barriers to recycling is knowing what items can (and cannot) be recycled. Download SWANCC's Curbside Recycling Guidelines for more information. (Spanish)

Boxes, boxes, boxes...Everything we buy or order seems to be packaged in boxes!

The good news is that cardboard and paper boxes can be recycled. While you can leave tape and labels on the box, it is important that boxes are CLEAN, DRY....AND FLATTENED!

It’s important to keep your cardboard boxes clean and dry because contaminated or wet items will affect the integrity of the material and may end up thrown away since saturated cardboard is difficult to recycle.

Why do we flatten boxes and not other items?

In single stream recycling, the burden of mechanically sorting accurately is on the materials recovery facility (MRF) and is determined by the composition of each material. Containers should be kept in their original shape for the best chance of proper mechanical sorting. For example, if a container is in an unfamiliar shape, like a crushed can or water bottle, then it may be mistaken as something different, sorted incorrectly, and contaminate other materials.

Cardboard & corrugated boxes not only take up valuable space when not flattened, but they too are identified by their shape and the only consistent shape for boxes of all kinds is FLAT. So if you care enough to recycle those boxes in the first place, then take the time to flatten them and keep them dry by closing the lid on your cart.



SWANCC's seasonal, community, one-day evens have concluded for 2023.

Keep your eyes open for the 2024 schedule to be released in April.

Still need to recycle electronics? SWANCC can help all year!

Other Special Materials -

SWANCC Member Communities offer programs for various materials that are reusable, recyclable, or need to be disposed of in an environmentally-safe manner.

These include:

• fluorescent bulbs
• mercury containing devices
• medications
• sharps
• batteries

Please contact your community to confirm participation before dropping off items.



You can also look for alternative disposal options for specific materials in SWANCC's Reuse and Recycle Directory.