Does Chicago actually recycle?

And where’s Chicago? At the bottom of the bin. The latest figures from the Department of Streets and Sanitation put the city’s overall recycling rate at 8.8%, one of the worst rates in the country.

Who owns Lakeshore recycling?

Nearly 20 years ago, K.J. Loerop and Ken Hoving began a startup business based out of West Chicago that focused on developing the Construction & Demolition recycling industry.

How is Chicago’s garbage disposed of?

But it’s what you do with the waste that’s important.” Once it’s collected from city sidewalks and alleys, Chicago’s trash gets hauled off to four different landfills – two in Illinois and two in Indiana, and all about 100 miles from the city – including Republic’s site a couple miles off I-55 in Pontiac.

Do you pay for recycling in Chicago?

Are residents paying for recycling too? No. There is no extra charge for recycling.

Does Chicago recycle plastic?

The city of Chicago uses what’s called a single-stream recycling system: residents don’t sort their recyclables by type; rather, they are collected as a mixed bunch and later sorted at a processing plant. Glass, flattened cardboard, paper and plastic bottles are among the items that can be recycled.

What happens to recycling in Chicago?

Glass is separated out in a machine called a trammel and plastics are sorted visually by processing center workers or optical sorters. After the recyclables are separated, they are bound into a large bundle, commonly referred to as a bale. A bale of aluminum cans will weigh approximately 1,000 lbs.

Where does Chicago dump their garbage?

The 550-acre Livingston landfill, near Pontiac, Illinois, is owned and managed by Republic Services. Transfer trucks lumber up to the top of the active part of the landfill. It doesn’t take long for the trucks to dump their 25 tons into the pit. As soon as it lets loose, the heavy equipment below takes over.

Will Chicago garbage pick up a couch?

In the city of Chicago you can dispose of your furniture or mattress with your regular trash pickup. You can put it out on the curb with your regular garbage and the town will come by and pick it up on your standard trash pickup day.

Does Chicago recycle #5 plastic?

The city’s blue cart recycling program is for single-family homes or apartment buildings of four units or less. Those items are: Plastic containers: bottles and containers with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7.

Can you recycle red Solo cups in Chicago?

No, you cannot recycle the paper cups meant for hot coffee in the Chicago program. You can also recycle the top and empty cup from your iced coffee. But the straw goes in the trash — or you can try drinking iced coffee without a straw.