For over 30 years , the Resource Center, a non-profit environmental education organization, has led the way in demonstrating innovative techniques for recycling and reusing materials.

The Resource Center’s material recycling efforts began in 1968 with a small drop off site at a church parking lot on Chicago's south side. Since the Resource Center’s formal incorporation in 1975, it has expanded to become Chicago's largest, oldest, and only not for profit recycler. Through its pioneer efforts, The Resource Center has radically altered the landscape of waste management in the city of Chicago.

The Resource Center’s work today extends far beyond the recovery of material goods. Its projects aim to improve the quality of life for city dwellers by maximizing abundant and important resources that are often overlooked in an urban setting. From its local recycling pick-up and drop-off programs, to its urban farms and gardening projects, from its compost collection to recovering industrial materials for creative reuse, the Resource Center has been devoted from the beginning to the revitalization of city neighborhoods through programs that encourage local, sustainable efforts

Too often in the urban setting, abundant and important resources are wasted. Our recovery work aims to reverse waste and to improve the quality of life for urban dwellers.  We have been devoted from the beginning to the economic and educational revitalization of city neighborhoods through recycling, urban gardening and other programs that reclaim and reuse resources.

As our efforts have expanded in scope, they have also grown in scale.  The original curbside-collection recycling programs are still a central part of our work, but they have been joined by a number of programs which are currently a part of our family of satellite ventures.

The Resource Center