Can you recycle plastic bags in Chicago, IL?

Not in your blue cart. Bags and film wrap around the sorting equipment at the facility City of Chicago uses, which is why they're excluded almost everywhere. Take clean, dry bags back to a grocery-store drop-off, or put them in your black cart.

What do I do with batteries in Chicago, IL?

Batteries never go in any of your Chicago, IL carts — not the blue cart, not the black cart. They're household hazardous waste and a genuine fire risk in the truck. Tape the terminals and take them to a local e-waste or household-hazardous-waste drop-off.

Recycling rules in Chicago, IL

📍 City of Chicago (Streets & Sanitation) · 2-cart program

Who collects your recycling in Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL collects its own residential waste: City of Chicago (Streets & Sanitation) operates the carts directly rather than contracting the route to a private hauler. Households get two carts — a blue cart for recyclables and a black cart for everything else. There is no curbside compost cart, so food scraps and food-soiled paper go in the black cart.

That two-cart setup is the norm for most of the country — curbside food-scrap collection remains rare outside California and a handful of West Coast and Northeast cities.

The quick answer for Chicago, IL

Plastic bottles & jugs	♻️ Blue cart	Empty; keep the cap on.
Aluminum & steel cans	♻️ Blue cart	Give them a rinse.
Flattened cardboard	♻️ Blue cart	Clean, dry sections only.
Glass bottles & jars	♻️ Blue cart	Lids off.
Food scraps	🗑️ Black cart	No curbside compost cart here.
Greasy pizza box	🗑️ Black cart	No curbside compost cart here.
Plastic bags & film	🗑️ Black cart	Store drop-off is better.
Batteries	⚠️ Hazardous	Never curbside — tape the terminals.

This is the short list. The full A–Z of what is and isn't recyclable is on what can I recycle? — or scan the item and get the answer for Chicago, IL directly.

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Chicago, IL recycling FAQ

Can you recycle plastic bags in Chicago, IL?: Not in your blue cart. Bags and film wrap around the sorting equipment at the facility City of Chicago uses, which is why they're excluded almost everywhere. Take clean, dry bags back to a grocery-store drop-off, or put them in your black cart.
What do I do with batteries in Chicago, IL?: Batteries never go in any of your Chicago, IL carts — not the blue cart, not the black cart. They're household hazardous waste and a genuine fire risk in the truck. Tape the terminals and take them to a local e-waste or household-hazardous-waste drop-off.

Popular item guides

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Still not sure?

Rules vary by material and by hauler, and the sorting line is strict — one wrong item can contaminate a whole load. When in doubt, point your camera at the item for a verdict, or check the official City of Chicago (Streets & Sanitation) guide.