Recycling in Chicago: Building Materials & Home Furnishings

Furniture is the least recycled item in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More than 80 percent of the 12 million tons of end-stage furniture went into landfills in 2018.

That same year, Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB) began, with a mission to provide dignity, stability and comfort to Chicagoans moving out of temporary shelters and into supportive housing. CFB accomplishes this by providing them a place to handpick an entire home’s worth of furnishings. Since its inception, CFB has furnished 4,195 homes for 10,220 people; that's 2,209 tons of furniture.

Acceptable items for donation include beds, couches, armchairs, dressers, desks, end tables, coffee tables, kitchen tables + chairs, dishware, rugs, lamps, artwork, mirrors, and more. Upholstered items should not be broken or ripped. Wood items should not have excessive watermarks, chips or missing hardware.

Donations can be dropped off at CFB’s warehouse, 4800 W. Roosevelt Road, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday. Call ahead (312.752.0211) so someone can meet you downstairs. Items can also be picked up for a sliding scale donation. www.chicagofurniturebank. org/donate

Rebuilding Exchange is a nonprofit that creates a market for reclaimed materials by diverting them from landfills. Donated doors, trim & molding, flooring & tile, lighting, plumbing fixtures, flooring, plumbing fixtures, lumber, appliances, architectural salvage, cabinetry, radiators & fireplaces and windows are available to the public at its 25,000-square-foot warehouse, 1740 W. Webster Ave.

In addition to the warehouse, its social enterprises include workshops on how to use reclaimed materials to live more sustainably or how to make repurposed furniture, and an employment-training and job placement program for Chicagoans with barriers to employment.

Scheduled pickup of donations is available Wednesday through Saturday. Materials must be uninstalled before arrival and located on ground level unless there is a freight elevator and loading dock. Materials that cannot be accepted include liquids and semi-liquids like paints and cleansers; lightbulbs and fluorescent light fixtures, fabric-based materials, pipes, electrical wires and insulation. 773.252.2234, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 7 days a week; rebuildingexchange.org.

The Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse (ERW), 1245 Hartrey in Evanston, is a building re-use nonprofit that sells products at 50 to 90 percent below retail prices so that everyone can afford to fix up their homes while keeping materials out of landfills. Simultaneously, it offers job training and placement for people with barriers to employment.

Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, ERW’s 28,000 square-foot warehouse offers solid core doors and windows, light fixtures and ceiling fans, reclaimed wood, bricks and building materials; kitchen and bath cabinets and granite counters, bathroom vanities, sinks, tubs and toilets; kitchen appliances; wood flooring and trim; HVAC units; antique door handles and hardware; solid wood furniture and more. evanstonrebuildingwarehouse.org

Why deconstruct instead of demolish? Because the Environmental Protection Agency says that 534 million tons of construction and demolition debris were generated in the United States in 2014, according to the ERW website. In the process, harmful particulates such as lead dust and sulfur dioxide were released into the environment. In contrast, deconstruction offers reduced disposal costs. Plus, everything removed from the house can be claimed on taxes as a donation to this qualified 501(c)(3).

Deconstruction also creates jobs. ERW’s workforce training program is 20 weeks, paid, with a certified curriculum in deconstruction, forklift certification, training in home repair, renovation and construction and more. Quotes on deconstruction projects can be obtained from ERW’s Director of Business Development, Kort Linden, kort@evanstonrebuildingwarehouse.org, 847.220.7167.

ReStore Chicago offers new and gently used furniture, appliances, cabinets, home accessories, lighting, flooring, hardware, plumbing, tools, windows, lumber and building material, and more. Last year, the store diverted 854 tons from landfills. www.habitatchicago.org/restore/visit

Proceeds provide funding to Habitat Humanity to create affordable housing and help neighborhoods like West 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.