Cook County’s Trash Bash series offers people a one-stop shop to unload items for donation or recycling.

Chicago is once again hosting collection sites for real trees at 27 locations around the city, Jan. 3-17.

The scariest thing about Halloween is the number of pumpkins that wind up in landfills every year. Enter the pumpkin smash. Collected gourds will be taken to compost facilities.

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus — representing 275 local governments in the Chicago metro area — has kicked off a joint recycling education campaign across six counties.

The semi-annual Reuse-a-Palooza at The Plant is happening Sunday, a one-stop shop for recycling, repairing and repurposing items that would otherwise go to waste.

Amid economic hardship and social stigma, thousands of informal recyclers power Argentina’s waste system and fight for recognition, respect and survival.

In the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, waste pickers are treating trash like treasure. The so-called cartoneros provide vital recycling services while earning a livelihood for their families.

The Chicago Fair Trade Museum is hosting what it's billing as “Chicago's biggest community clothing swap,” Friday through Sunday.

Participating vendors at Saturday’s Trash Bash will be accepting everything from electronics and expired prescription drugs to musical instruments and eyeglasses.

The vast majority of the ideas won’t make it to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker or become law, but the list of proposals offers some insights into the issues members of the lower chamber are concerned about as they kick off their new terms in office.

It’s time to un-deck those “live” balsams, Fraser firs and pines. But instead of sending real Christmas trees off to a landfill, there are plenty of recycling options.

The city aims to deliver 3,000 compost bins to residents throughout Chicago's 50 wards. The city initially allocated 20 compost bins to distribute in each ward but increased it to 60 bins per ward due to demand.

At issue is the Sims Metal Management company in Pilsen, which was cited by state and federal officials for violating environmental laws. The company agreed to build new equipment to contain emissions from at the site.

Once eligibility is confirmed, city staff will deliver a free compost bin to residents’ homes, according to a news release announcing the initiative. Each ward will receive an initial allocation of 20 bins.

For the second year in a row, the Cook County government has celebrated Earth Day by announcing a new south suburban recycling facility aimed at taking some of the nastiest garbage out of the waste stream.

Instead of trashing those vital eclipse glasses, recycle them at any one of dozens of Chicago locations.