Evanston To Host Annual Recycles Event At ETHS

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston will host its annual “Evanston Recycles” event next week at Evanston Township High School.

Evanston Recycles will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave. The free “drive-up, drop-off” event gives residents a place to recycle and donate a range of items and securely shred documents.

This year’s event will collect electronic waste, documents for shredding, and unused prescription medication and expired over-the-counter drugs. The city also announced something new for 2026. Residents from Climate Action Evanston will volunteer onsite and take select additional materials for reuse and recycling.

The added collection will include bicycles, bike parts and accessories, books, CDs and DVDs, tools in good working condition, usable art and office supplies, Lego bricks and tennis balls. The city asked participants bringing those items to make sure they are accessible and separated for easier collection and sorting by volunteers.

Drivers taking part in the event should enter the drop-off line on Church Street west of Dodge Avenue and follow posted signs to the drop-off area, according to the city. Participants are asked to remain in their cars and not line up before 8 a.m. People arriving on foot or by bicycle should go directly to the areas marked with an “X” on the event map instead of following the vehicle route.

Electronics accepted at the event will include cell phones, computers, computer monitors, DVR and cable boxes, DVD and VHS players, fax machines, mice and keyboards, MP3 players and PDAs, printers and scanners, TVs and video game consoles.

For paper shredding, residents may bring up to five banker’s boxes of documents to be shredded on-site. The city said papers should be placed in a box or brown paper bag, and large metal clips and binders should be removed before arrival. Staples and paper clips are acceptable. Document shredding is not available for businesses.

The medication disposal portion of the event will accept residentially generated unused prescription medication and expired over-the-counter drugs. Medications considered to be controlled substances will also be accepted. The city said medicines must be in labeled containers, with no loose pills, and no needles or syringes, whether used or new. Multiple medicine bottles should be transported in a clear, re-sealable storage bag.

Evanston Recycles is supported by the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County. Electronics recycling and document destruction are open to residents of all SWANCC communities.