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The City of Evanston will host its annual “Evanston Recycles” event on Saturday, July 10, from 9 a.m. to noon, at Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave.

Each year this free “drive up, drop off” event provides residents an opportunity to recycle and donate a variety of items and securely shred documents. This year, the City will be collecting electronic waste; documents for shredding; and residentially generated, unused prescription medication and expired over-the-counter drugs. No other items will be accepted.

Community members participating in the event 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.

To ensure the health and safety of participants and staff, all participants must unlock/open their trunk from inside their vehicle to allow City staff to unload the items, place all material for recycling in the back seat or trunk of their vehicle, and stay home if experiencing viral symptoms or testing positive for COVID-19 within the last 14 days. Service will be refused to residents who do not comply with these guidelines.

Electronics recycling and document destruction are open to residents of all Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) communities.

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
  • Mouse controls 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 a controlled substance will also be accepted. 

Medications to recycle:

  • Unused/expired prescriptions in original bottles
  • Over-the-counter medication
  • Multiple medication bottles in clear bag

Do not bring:

  • Needles or syringes (used or new)
  • Inhalers
  • Loose pills

Evanston Recycles is supported by the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County.

For more information, please call or text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents in Evanston may simply dial 311.