ZERO WASTE

CURRENT INITIATIVES

  • Single use plastics. We champion legislation and policies that prohibit production, sale, and use of single-use plastics, and reduce the production of new plastic in the state of Illinois.

COLLABORATIONS

» Coalition for Plastic Reduction

The Climate Reality Project: Chicago Metro Chapter has signed on as a member of the Coalition for Plastic Reduction (CPR). CPR is a coalition of environmental, consumer, and community organizations, cultural institutions, and businesses with a shared commitment to policy change supporting a circular economy that prohibits the sale, production, and use of single use plastic, and reduces the production of new plastic.

Climate Reality chapter members who have interest in attending monthly Coalition for Plastic Reduction (CPR) calls on Wednesdays at 4:00 pm via Zoom, please reach out to aeb925@gmail.com with subject line: Plastic Reduction.

TEAM LEAD

Amy Bartucci

Email Amy

Please note, continuing members will be
asked to join our chapter.

MEETINGS

Check our calendar for more details.

» For this list of our latest and greatest zero waste and recycling recommendations as a downloadable document, click HERE.

REFUSE

  • Junk mail
  • Free gifts you will not use
  • Excess hand wipes and bottled water on the airplane (bring your own)…food even!
  • Single-use utensils and extra napkins and condiments for carrying out. BYO! (In Chicago it’s illegal for restaurants to include these items unless requested. Tell the restaurant if they don’t know.)
  • Bring your own bag when shopping for groceries and retail purchases
  • Say no to straws

REDUCE

  • Shop local from farmers markets to support farmers with less packaging waste
  • Packaging by shopping items in minimal plastic or from zero waste stores
  • Use cloth napkins. Thrift various patterns and colors for fun
  • Learn how to cook with Ends and Stems to save time and reduce food waste
  • Wash your clothes in cold water and air dry them
  • On the topic of clothes washing, challenge yourself to wear clothes more often between washes, thereby decreasing your number of loads!
  • Turn off lights and unplug electronics when not using them
  • Eat less meat – Meatless Mondays (or more)!
  • Challenge yourself!  Can you decrease the amount of recycles going to the curb?

REUSE

  • Join your neighborhood Facebook Buy Nothing group (search on Facebook buy nothing and enter neighborhood to find)
  • Shop second hand (poshmark and thredup great for clothing)
  • Upcycle jars and cans for plants and flowers 
  • Use glass jars to store bulk items (seeds, nuts, etc)
  • Shop or donate bikes at Working Bikes www.Workingbikes.org
  • Turn empty food containers into leftover containers
  • Before throwing an item away – ask yourself if the item can be repurposed
  • Make your reusables more accessible (reusable straws & utensils in your purse/backpack, reusable bags by the door & in the car) and phase out single use items (hide them! See if you can get by without using them)
  • Buy reusable silicone bags or reuse ziploc bags

RECYCLE / UPCYCLE

  • Divert bread tags from landfills and get them to SCARCE for Danielle Cares for Chairs
  • Bring American Flags to your local VFW, fire department, village/township hall
  • Bring Eyeglasses + Hearing Aids to your local Lions Club 
  • Ink cartridges from printers can be refurbished and resold (no toner cartridges) through Planet Green Recycle Fundraiser www.planetgreenrecycle.com
  • Vases can be repurposed for Flowers for Elderly and Sick Persons at The Douglas Center www.thedouglascenter.com
  • Make homemade guitar picks out of used credit and gift cards with a pick punch – donate the picks to elementary and high school music teachers and music schools
  • Ship your extra and unwanted sports and academic medals to be recycled with Sports Medal Recycling
  • Donate unwanted craft, office or school supplies and materials to nonprofits like Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange or The Waste Shed

ROT

  • Compost food scraps at home (backyard or vermicomposting), curbside (if available), or with a microhauler. Check out the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition for all the details
  • Search for community food scrap drop off events or opportunities to divert food scraps from landfills. A few local examples to consider are select community gardens, urban farms, and farmers markets.

LOCAL ZERO WASTE STORES

MISCELLANEOUS