The City of Evanston will host its fourth annual recycling fair from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 12 at Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave. The fair provides residents an opportunity to recycle a variety of items, securely shred documents, obtain recycling education materials, learn about construction projects, visit with “green” vendors, and get a close look at some of the Streets and Sanitation Division’s heavy equipment.

For the fourth year, the City will give away compost bins to Evanston residents who attend the fair. Staff will only accept orders for the compost bins at the fair and will deliver them at a later date along with an instructional flyer. The bins are for composting purposes only and will not have wheels.

Residents who bring items to recycle or shred are asked to follow the signs and remain in their cars as City staff unload the items. Electronic recycling and document destruction are open to residents of all Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) communities. Participants are asked to NOT line up before 8 a.m.

Electronic Recycling:
The following electronic materials will be accepted:

  • Televisions
  • Computer monitors
  • Cell phones
  • Computers: PCs and laptops
  • VHS and DVD players
  • Printers and scanners
  • DVR/Cable boxes
  • Fax machines
  • mp3 players and PDAs
  • Mice, keyboards and drives
  • 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.

Other Items:
Additional items being collected this year:

  • Clothing and shoes
  • Clothes hangers
  • Household batteries
  • Car/SUV/Light truck tires (2 tires per resident)
  • Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs)
  • Ink cartridges
  • Plastic grocery bags

Medications Disposal:
Thanks to the support of NorthShore University HealthSystem, Stericycle and the Evanston Police Department, medications will be accepted for disposal at the recycling fair this year. Residentially-generated, unused prescriptions and expired over-the-counter drugs will be accepted. Medications considered to be a controlled substance will also be accepted.

Community members disposing of medications will be directed to a designated tent where medications can be turned in to medical and police department staff. Medications should be kept separate from electronics, documents and other items being recycled at the fair. 

  • Medicines must be in labeled containers; no loose pills
  • Needles or syringes (used or new) will not be accepted
  • Multiple medicine bottles should be transported in a clear ziplock plastic bag
  • Personal information may be marked out with black felt tip pens (do not remove labels)
  • No bulk turn-ins will be accepted

For more information, call 311 (847-448-4311 outside of Evanston).