Blue Cart & Recycling Drop-off Center: Accepted Materials
Materials that are accepted in the Chicago Blue Cart Program & Recycling Drop-off Centers:
- Glass jars and bottles
- Aluminum cans, foil and pie tins
- Tin or Steel cans
- Cereal boxes, paper towel rolls
- Cardboard (flatten all boxes)
- Plastic bottles and containers (# 1-5, 7 accepted)
- Junk mail, magazines and catalogs
- Telephone books
- Paper bags
- Office paper and file folders
- Newspaper and inserts
- Beverage cartons (milk, juice, soy cartons)
- Beverage carrier stock: plastic rings and cardboard carrying cases
- wrapping paper (no bows or ribbons, please)
- paper greeting cards
Find a Residential Recycling Drop Off Center
Materials that are NOT accepted in the Blue Cart Program & Recycling Drop-off Centers and should be donated if reusable:
- Clothes and linens
- Plastic or metal hangers
- #6 Plastics (polystyrene or Styrofoam)
- Diapers or feminine products
- Construction debris (bricks, wood, cement, etc.)
- Paint or spray paint
- Unnumbered plastics (toothbrushes, toys, hoses, cereal box liners, etc.)
- Loose plastic shopping bags (bring those back to retailers for recycling)
- Hard, reusable plastic bottles (like Nalgene or baby bottles)
To find an outlet for materials not accepted in the Blue Cart program, visit www.earth911.com to use their recycling finder.