Reduce, Reuse & Recycle!

For our first exploration of city sustainability, let’s take a look at the tried and true values – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! We’ll go into depth for each of these steps and point out opportunities for each in Chicago.

Reduce:
First, we’ll explore waste reduction in our city and daily lives. There is an incredible organization in the area that promotes waste minimization as well as accessible opportunities to donate waste rather than throw it away. Reduce Waste Chicago does a lot of grassroots inspiration and advocacy for environmental justice, pursuing the policies created by the city and other environmental conservation values. Additionally, they host collection events and opportunities for residents to donate items that can be reused or repurposed but may be difficult to recycle. Their largest collection event of the year is September 28th on Damen Ave, but they have opportunities for waste collection year-round. As part of the larger city-wide effort called ‘Zero Waste Chicago,’ Reduce Waste Chicago has several resources for interested individuals who may desire the zero-waste lifestyle but need guidance in achieving that goal. Another personal practice we can take as students to reduce waste is to avoid buying disposables altogether. Where possible, relying on reusable grocery bags, containers, or Ziploc bags [yes, they’re real and they’re amazing!], will significantly reduce the amount of waste produced individually via plastic bags, take-out containers, etc. Specific to school, renting existing textbooks that will be returned and reused the next school year is a great mode of waste reduction. Of course, purchasing digital copies of the books will reduce waste as well, but we must then ensure that we’re not producing carbon waste through the use of AI or significantly discounted textbook websites.

Reuse:
Next, a surprisingly easy and attractive practice for us students, Reusing! You may see this as a fad on social media or a trendy daily practice for our generation. Item reusing is becoming incredibly popular as an accessible, sustainable action, and has several interesting factors to it. Plus, it’s the simplest action of these three! Reusing as a practice doesn’t require any new purchases or lifestyle changes – it just challenges us to continue choosing items in our daily life rather than tossing them out and purchasing unnecessary replacements. I’ll provide a few examples of this reusing practice now:

• Don’t throw away pasta sauce or fruit jars! Reuse them to hold your daily iced coffee or meal-prepped dishes! Most coffee shops will happily make your drink in your jar or other reusable mug, and some cafes (i.e. Dark Matter & Crafty Bean) will even offer a discount for customers practicing sustainability this way!
• Don’t throw away old clothing! Prioritize donating clothes to centers in need – if the clothing is too far gone to donate, repurpose them into cleaning rags or drying towels!
• Avoid fast-fashion entirely; take a trip to your local thrift store, bring a friend, and make a day of sustainable practices purchasing donated clothing!

Recycle:
Finally, the most popular of all, Recycle! Recycling is an amazing practice to avoid unnecessary waste in landfills as well as pollution in our water. However, it has become increasingly difficult to pursue recycling properly. Often, recycle bins in establishments go to the same dumpster that all the trash does, and true recycling centers in the city can be difficult to access/find. However, there are several recycling opportunities in our area, and I’ll identify them below:

• Blue Cart Households: if you live off-campus, be aware if your residence is a Blue Cart Household! This simply means that in addition to your dumpster outside, there is a smaller blue cart designated for recycling. This practice is important to be aware of because the recycling centers that pick up these dumpsters cannot access your private property – be aware of your residence’s recycling pickup schedule, and ensure that your blue cart is put out on the curb prior to the recycling pickup time.
• Recycling Drop-off Centers: If you are not in a Blue Cart Household (most of us are likely not), there are other opportunities for you to pursue recycling. There are two major recycling drop-off centers in the city that take all recycling items. These centers are located at 6441 N Ravenswood and 1758 S Clark St. If you have a car in the city, these centers are incredible resources for you – take an hour on your weekend to drop off a box of recyclables!
• Local Store Recycling: Don’t worry if you’re both not a Blue Cart Household and don’t have access to the Drop-off Centers above! Several local stores have recycling resources available. For example, Jewel Osco’s around the city accept some recycling; only certain plastic items (ones that cannot be properly recycled in traditional bins) are accepted, so be aware of what they require and what you have to recycle! To recycle batteries, visit any Home Depot; drop off any plastic bags or film at a Kroger; and recycle old electronics at any Best Buy!