Recycling in Oak Park

Recyclables are picked up on the same day as trash and yard waste. The Village provides 64-gallon recycling containers to encourage more recycling. Larger carts with wheels and lids mean residents are better able to take full advantage of Oak Park's single-stream collection approach that eliminates the need to separate recyclables. All recyclable materials, whether paper, glass, plastic, aluminum or most metal containers, can be tossed into the same collection vessel, with separation occurring at the recycling sorting center. Items should not be put into plastic bags but placed loosely into the blue cart.

By following a few simple rules, you can maximize the benefits of recycling in our community:

• No plastic bags - recycle at local grocery or drug stores
• Material must be clean and free of food waste. Rinse bottles, jars and cans. Discard caps and lids. Plastic caps may be left on empty plastic bottles and jars
• Do not use plastic bags to hold paper or containers
• Automobile fluid containers are not accepted
• Polystyrene (#6 plastic) and styrofoam products are not accepted
• Plastic toys and furniture are not accepted
• When in doubt, throw it out

All items, including paper, may be placed together in the blue recycling container. Many containers now note if they are recyclable. These items are recyclable:

• Glass bottles and jars (all colors)
• Steel, aluminum and bi-metal cans
• Plastics – check for these numbers on or near the bottom of the container:
  • #1 PETE (plastic soft drink bottles)
  • #2 HDPE (milk or water jugs, detergent bottles#3 PVC narrow neck containers like household cleaners, health and beauty products)
  • #4 LDPE (margarine tubs and plastic rings from beverage cans)
  • #5 PP (yogurt cups, narrow neck syrup and ketchup bottles)
  • #7 OTHER (plastic resin grocery narrow neck containers)
• Aluminum foil and formed containers
• Brown paper grocery bags
• Chipboard, such as cereal and cracker boxes
• Corrugated cardboard (place small pieces in the cart; cut and flatten larger pieces into three-foot-square pieces and place next to cart)
• Empty aerosol cans
• Empty paint cans
• Gift wrapping paper
• Junk mail, including window envelopes
• Newspapers and inserts
• Magazines
• Newspapers and inserts
• Office paper
• Paperback books
• Telephone books

Residents in single-family homes and buildings with five or fewer units can schedule at-home collections of materials such as garden chemicals, automotive fluids, paint products and household cleaners as well as electronic items like televisions, computers, fax machines, printers and cell phones.

• Electronic and Hazardous Household Waste Collection Program
• Dispose of Prescription Drugs

Electronic equipment is not allowed in Illinois landfills and will not be collected by refuse haulers.

Oak Park residents who live in residential structures with 5 or less units and who are billed for refuse service by the Village of Oak Park can schedule e-waste pickup through LRS, the Village's waste hauler.

Oak Park residents who do not pay for Village refuse service can utilize the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency website to find electronic recycling facilities. Earth911.com is another helpful resource for finding nearby locations that accept and recycle more than 350 products and materials.

Residents who have plastic bags they’d like to dispose of are reminded not to discard them in curbside recycling carts and bins. Plastic bags often get caught in equipment at recycling centers, potentially breaking or stopping machinery.

A wide variety of plastic bags, films and wraps can be discarded in bins at local grocery stores. Visit www.plasticfilmrecycling.org for a list of items that can be recycled at stores.

Contact Environmental Services at 708.358.5700 or publicworks@oak-park.us for more information.

With the goal of decreasing the amount of organic refuse sent to landfills, the Village of Oak Park offers a food scrap composting program to residents throughout the community.

Oak Parkers are being challenged to step up their recycling game under new, stricter cart contamination rules.

Recycling carts that contain common contaminants such as plastic bags, soiled food containers and non-recyclables like Styrofoam, garden hoses and propane tanks can compromise entire recycling loads.

Haulers may not empty carts until the contaminants are removed by the resident - ideally by the next weekly collection cycle. When common contaminants are observed in a recycling cart, a sticker may be applied informing residents of the problem.

Find resources related to recycling residential construction material below:

• List of shingle recyclers in Illinois