Not sure what to do with your live tree and old or broken light strings post-holidays? There are many opportunities to recycle these items in Cook County. Make your holiday season a little more sustainable this year by keeping holiday waste out of the landfill.
Drop-off sites open to all Cook County residents: […]
Click here for more →It’s October and there are pumpkins everywhere! Many households like to use pumpkins for a colorful decoration this time of year and if you celebrate Halloween you probably carve your pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns. But what do you do with your Halloween pumpkins when November arrives? If you usually just throw it in the trash there […]
Click here for more →Residents across northern Illinois are eligible for significant rebates on smart thermostats that can cut in half the cost of the device. Smart thermostats are devices that connect to Wi-Fi and allow remote control of heating and air conditioning settings in homes through smart phones, tablets and computers. They can help increase comfort, convenience and control […]
Click here for more →Missed our Earth Month 2020 on Twitter? We have compiled all of those resources here, in one convenient location.
For our Earth Month, DES focused on providing resources and actions that assisted in reducing emissions from waste, energy, and transportation that could be done from home.
Make an Impact from Home:
Resources […]
Click here for more →After exceeding last year’s goals with more than 120 properties committed to installing solar, the Solarize Chicagoland program kicks off this week for residents in Cook County.
For the second year in a row, Cook County is co-sponsoring Solarize Chicagoland, a program aimed at making solar more affordable and easier to attain for […]
Click here for more →Join Cook County’s Department of Environment and Sustainability and Citizens Utility Board for a webinar about how to save money and energy at home. This webinar is being co-sponsored by Cook County Commissioners Alma E. Anaya, Luis Arroyo Jr., John P. Daley, Bridget Degnen, Brandon Johnson, Donna Miller, Kevin Morrison, and Larry Suffredin. […]
Click here for more →Although flattening containers, like cartons, plastic bottles, and cans, may save room in your recycling bin, please don’t do it. Crushing these items leads to issues in single stream recycling systems. However, you should flatten cardboard & corrugated boxes (see benefits of flattening boxes below).
Single Stream Recycling
If you put all your recyclables into […]
Click here for more →CCDES is a member of the Illinois Recycling Contamination Task Force, a group that addresses pressing recycling issues throughout the state. To answer specific recycling questions, the task force has launched the Dirty Dozen Campaign. Each month, a different recycling issue will be addressed. This month, we are exploring biohazardous materials.
There is a lot of […]
Click here for more →If it’s made from paperboard, it must be recyclable, right? Not always! Frozen food boxes pose a challenge to the recycling process. Paperboard boxes that were designed for freezer foods, such as frozen pizza and entrées, are impregnated with a plastic polymer to protect against freezer burn. The plastic prevents the box from […]
Click here for more →Have a busted strand of lights? Cat attack the tree again? Before you send the strand to the landfill, consider visiting a recycling drop off location. The copper, metal, and plastic from the lights will be separated and recycled in these specialized processes. Due to the specific process needed, be sure to keep holiday […]
Click here for more →A Message from the President
I believe that Cook County should be a world-class model of sustainability. We are working not only to boost sustainability practices throughout County government, but also to join forces with local governments, nonprofits and business, to accomplish more than we could separately in making each of Cook County’s communities sustainable. To further this work, I appointed Deborah Stone as the County’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, and as Director of the Department of Environmental Control. I also recognize that Cook County needs to share ideas and collaborate with a diverse group of community leaders and sustainability experts. In March 2012, I appointed the Cook County Sustainability Advisory Council to help lift our vision higher and give us access to best practices. You can meet the Council members and read more about their mission in the “Advisory Council” section of this website. Toni Preckwinkle,Cook County Board President
Contact Us
Cook County Chief Sustainability Officer
69 W Washington
Room 1900
Chicago, IL 60602
312-603-8200 (o)
312-603-9828(f)
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