Recycling in Chicago: Are Chicago’s Recycling Initiatives Meeting Expectations?

Abstract

On June 22, 2016 Titles 4 and 11 of the Chicago Recycling Ordinance were updated “to reflect the most current standards within the recycling industry”¹ and to institute a fining system whereby Chicagoans could be fined up to $5,000 for a lack of compliance; this ordinance took effect on January 1, 2017. Unfortunately, rather than see improvements in recycling trends, many Chicagoans continue to grapple with basic recycling practices. For instance, though many Chicagoans are making efforts to recycle, improper recycling practices such as recycling greasy pizza boxes, Christmas tree lights, unwashed plastic bottles and more, translate into recycling bins ending up in landfills. This project aims to provide an assessment of 2016 Chicago Recycling Ordinance revisions through a literature review, mass media analysis, and overview of community and government studies, to determine if the expectations set by the revisions were met. Key findings reveal that Chicago’s Recycling Ordinance continues to lag when it comes to meeting its goals and objectives. Evidence demonstrates that there has been a steady decrease in the percentage of successful recycling efforts between 2015 (10%) and 2020 (8%). Not only is there a lag taking place, but the percentage of successful efforts in Chicago is lackluster when compared to other major cities; in fact, Los Angeles residents effectively recycle 76% of their trash. In order to create a more effective recycling ordinance, Chicago officials need to not only focus on strict implementation rules, but they also need to institute multilingual educational campaigns aimed at teaching Chicagoans not only how to properly recycle, but also why this practice is so important.