Battery Recycling

Battery and Ink Jet Cartridge Recycling is available on campus through the UCEC. We accept AAA, AA, A, C, D, 9-Volt batteries and rechargeable batteries. For all other batteries please click on the link for the City of Chicago Department of the Environment for drop off locations. We accept all ink jet cartridges for PC’s and Macs except for Epsom which is made of non-recyclable products. Large ink and copy cartridges should be returned to the vendor from whom you purchased the cartridge. Battery and Ink Jet Cartridge Recycling is available in the lobby of Regenstein Library, the Divinity School Coffee Shop, Cobb Coffee Shop and the 1st floor of the Cummings Life Sciences Center.

Recycling on Campus

Recycling on campus is dealt with through many different vendors. Please see below for the different recycling programs on campus.

Undergraduate Dorm Buildings

Recyclables are picked up by the Resource Center, a non-profit Chicago recycling vendor. In all dorms you should have containers for plastic (#1 &#2), aluminum, metal, clear, green and brown glass, low grade paper (paper board, phone books), high grade paper (printer paper), and cardboard. Some of these items may be combined into one container (different colors of glass). If this is not what you are have at your disposal, please contact ucec@uchicago.edu.

Around Campus

This includes all classrooms, commons buildings, administration buildings, chapels and outside on the quad. Recycling in these locations is handled by the University of Chicago Facilities Services and recycled by Weyerhauser. Throughout campus you should be able to recycle glass (clear, brown and green), plastic (#1 & #2), aluminum/metal and paper. In many cases glass and plastic go into the same container. Despite what you see, the small white UC Recycle containers are not used for recycling. Recycling is done in the bright blue containers and long gray containers only. In the 2003-2004 school year the Green Campus Initiative conducted an audit of campus classroom buildings and administration buildings and are currently working with the newly formed Sustainability council to improve recycling around campus. If you have any questions or notice any problems, please contact ucec@uchicago.edu

University owned apartments

According to the 1995 City of Chicago Recycling Ordinance, your landlord is required to provide recycling of three items (see the link to the Department of the Environment). Accordingly, in university owned apartments, typically graduate students apartments, there should be recycling of any of the following three items: glass, plastic, paper or aluminum/metal. Because they are not required to do more, the University does not provide more. Please bring other recyclables to campus for recycling.

Your apartment or home

According to the 1995 City of Chicago Recycling Ordinance, your landlord is required to provide recycling of three items if you have a private waste hauler (metal dumpster) (see the link to the Department of the Environment). Otherwise you can hire your own private recycling vendor or use the blue bag system. Blue bags can be purchase at your local grocery store and are disposed with your regular trash. If you are looking for a private vendor we suggest The Resource Center!

Household Hazardous Waste

Please take your hazardous waste to the Illinois EPA. The Il. EPA holds one day collections in the spring and fall on Saturdays from 8am-3pm. Permanent drop-off locations are located in Naperville and Rockford.

They accept: Oil-based paints, paint thinners, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, old gasoline, pool chemicals, cleaning products, mercury, household batteries, used motor oil, drain cleaners, lawn chemicals, solvents, antifreeze, hobby chemicals and aerosol paints and pesticides.

See their webpage for more information.