Cook County has partnered with South Suburban College to create the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM). This is a permanent recycling drop-off facility available to Cook County residents that helps divert millions of pounds of waste and other hard-to-recycle items from regional landfills and water systems. More information about materials accepted at CHaRM can be found below.
Location
15800 S. State StreetSouth Holland, IL 60473
The drop-off site is located on north side of campus in the overflow parking lot. Enter at traffic signal on State Street.
Hours
Every Tuesday: 8 am – 12 noon
Every Thursday: 1 pm – 5 pm
2nd & 4th Saturday every month: 9 am – 1 pm
The CHaRM Center may close during inclement weather such as extreme heat, tornados or lightning.
Accepted Items and Materials
Use the menu below to learn more about acceptable and unacceptable items. For more information on ways to dispose of other types of waste, please visit the Cook County Green Guide Library page.
Commercial and industrial waste is not accepted. Materials may not be dropped off outside of operating hours. Property is under 24-hour video surveillance. Illegal dumping is a crime. Violators may be fined up to $10,000 per Cook County, IL, Code of Ordinances ch. 30, §131 (2017).
Residential recycling will go to a material recovery facility where it will be sorted by type and recycled into new materials and products. Please rinse food/drink residue from plastic, metal and glass before recycling. Remove staples and paper clips. Keep lids and caps on bottles and jars or place in trash.
Paper and Cardboard
Accepted: Moving boxes, food boxes, shipping boxes, cardboard or paper envelopes and folders, newspaper, mail and magazines, notebook paper, scrap paper and cartons.
Not Accepted: Shredded paper, to-go cups, paper plates soiled with food, greasy cardboard or pizza boxes, coated paper take out containers, tissue paper, sparkly wrapping paper, paper towels and napkins.
Plastic
Accepted: Hard plastic containers and bottles (water bottles, milk jugs, detergent containers, etc.) as well as #1 and #2 plastic to-go containers.
Not Accepted: Plastic utensils, flexible plastics (bags, straws, wrapping from food or packaging), bubble wrap, packing peanuts and foam packaging.
Metal
Accepted: Steel/tin food cans and aluminum beverage cans.
Not Accepted: Aluminum soiled with food, loose tabs or bottle caps, razor blades, needles or sharps.
Glass
Accepted: Brown, green and clear food and beverage bottles and jars.
Not Accepted: Small pieces of broken glass and Pyrex or heat-resistant glass.
Electronics, functioning and non-functioning IT-related electronics will be responsibly refurbished or recycled.
Computers and Accessories
Accepted: Laptops, tablets, desktop PCs, monitors, cables and accessories, circuit boards/cards, computer mice, computer power supplies, gaming devices, hard drives, keyboards, media speakers, and network devices.
Home Entertainment
Accepted: Cable set top box (analog, digital, satellite), accessories and cables, plasma and LCD TVs, stereo equipment, Hi-Fi speakers, video players, digital cameras, DVD players, video cameras, and game consoles.
Servers and Data Centers
Accepted: Servers, storage arrays, network related equipment, power distribution units, routers and switches, cabling, switchgear, panelboard, mainframe equipment and server racks.
Mobile Devices
Accepted: Cell phones/smart phones, personal digital assistants and MP3 players.
Office Items
Accepted: Landline phones and communication devices, ink and toner cartridges, fax machines, video and audio equipment, PBX systems, projection equipment, security equipment, receivers and transmitters, desktop printers, large format printers and copiers and smart boards.
Clothing, textiles and other household items will be reused when possible and recycled if no longer usable. Please make sure items are washed and completely dry before placing in a plastic bag.
Clothing
Accepted: Blouses, pants, swimsuits, coats, scarves, ties, dresses, shirts, tops (any kind), hats, socks, formal wear, jackets, suits, undergarments, jeans, sweaters and all baby/infant clothing.
Not Accepted: Wet, moldy or dirty clothing.
Shoes and Accessories
Accepted: All shoes are accepted, backpacks, gloves, office supplies, belts, handbags, purses, computer bags, luggage, tote bags, fashion jewelry and wallets.
Household and Textiles
Accepted: Bedspreads, washcloths, sleeping bags, drapes, blankets, home/wall decor, sheets, curtains, pictures/artwork, sofa covers, shower curtains, small area rugs/floor mats, towels, quilts, vases, pillows, baskets, books, kitchen dishes, glasses, holders/shakers and utensils.
Not Accepted: Furniture, electronics, paints, mattresses and cleaners/liquids.
Toys
Accepted: Plastic toys, baby toys, games (with all pieces), plush toys, wooden toys, stuffed toys and dolls.
Not Accepted: Wet, dirty or moldy toys.
Small appliances in working condition will be refurbished and reused or resold through community partners.
Tools
Accepted: Power tools with cords free of damage, miscellaneous hardware, hand tools, woodworking and metalworking equipment.
Appliances
Accepted: Air conditioners, microwaves and small kitchen appliances.
Styrofoam packaging and food and beverage storage waste will be condensed and recycled into new foam.
Styrofoam
Accepted: Foam packaging waste from appliances, furniture, TV’s and electronics as well as coolers used in food and beverage storage.
Not Accepted: Foam packing peanuts, food packaging items (cups, trays, take-away boxes, utensils), material featuring any recycle number other than ‘6’.
For any questions, or if you’re a recycler interested in partnering with CHaRM, please email charm@ssc.edu or call (708) 596-2000, ext. 2440.
