Pullman and Greater Grand Crossing thrive. In addition to furniture and all the above items, cars and in-kind donations – concrete, drywall, construction support – are also accepted. Business donations (from individual homeowners, contractors or home design store owners with rotating inventory) can be made with Chris Kennedy, ReStore procurement manager, 312.563.0296 x 204 or chris.kennedy@habitatchicago.org ReStore, 6040 N. Pulaski Road, will reopen June 17 and will start accepting donations June 24. Store hours will be 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; donations will be accepted from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Check www.habitatchicago.org/restore/donate for details or call 312.563.0296 x 203. CHEMICALS & ELECTRONICS Chicago Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility, 1150 N. Branch St., two blocks east of the Kennedy Expressway at Division Street. Materials should be dropped off only when the facility is open: 7 a.m.-noon Tuesdays, 2-7 p.m. Thursdays and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. the first Saturday of the month. The facility accepts household chemicals such as bleach and drain cleaners; batteries; oil-based and aerosol paints and thinners; fluorescent light bulbs; antifreeze; motor oil, gasoline and auto fluids; herbicides and pesticides; propane tanks for BBQ grills; lead acid batteries; hair spray aerosol cans; lawn, pool and hobby chemicals; mercury thermometers; small fire extinguishers. Chicagoans can also obtain useable paints, stains and cleaners for free at the facility’s material exchange room, with the assistance of a staff person. They do not have to drop off any items of their own. Electronics that it accepts include TVs; computers, keyboards and mice; printers; fax machines; scanners; VCRs, DVD players and recorders; digital converter boxes; cable and satellite receivers; video game consoles; portable digital music players such as mp3 and iPods.
Computers dropped off there will have their hard drives wiped clean. Materials will either be reused or broken apart and recycled through a joint program of the Illinois Department of Corrections, City of Chicago and PC Rebuilders and Recyclers to train formerly incarcerated people in electronics recycling and place them in jobs. Recycled computers are then made available to schools, churches, nonprofits and low-income families. Central Metal Recycling, 5618 W. Fillmore St., Chicago; 773.345.8610; 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7-11 a.m. Saturday; centralmetalrecycling.net.
It accepts E-scrap for 15 cents a pound: the insides of computers and cell phones, towers, PCB boards and motherboards, but not old monitors with bulbs. The City of Highland Park Recycling Center, 1180 Half Day Road, accepts up to 7 electronics items per visit, excluding cords and cables, at no charge from Lake County residents every Tuesday and first Saturdays from 7 a.m. -1 p.m. Clothing, textiles, shoes, up to 8 fluorescent light bulbs, and polystyrene foam are also accepted. Solid Waste Agency of Lake County accepts household chemical waste by appointment only at 1311 N. Estes St., Gurnee; 847.377.4950; see swalco.org for preparation guidelines. METALS When people talk about “the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle,” they usually think of plastic, paper and bottles, but metals should be added to that list, says a large Chicago metal recycler. Processing recycled metal takes less energy than mining and purifying new metal. Recycling a single aluminum beverage can save enough energy to power a 60-watt bulb for more than four hours, notes the website of Marcells Paper and Metal INC., which serves corporate clients on the northwest side.
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