Earth Day Happenings

March 30, 2022

April 22nd is Earth Day, and as the world is slowly opening up again to the possibility of a time after Covid-19, there are many fun ways to get involved this year and help clean up our planet. From park/forest clean ups to educational opportunities to playdates helping teach the next generation about the care of Mother Earth, Chicagoland is offering numerous events to show support this Earth Day.

Chicagoland Events

There are so many exciting events happening this Earth Day. This list does not contain all of them, so feel free to reach out to your local forest preserve or village hall to ask about local events also. Here are some of the events happening in the Chicagoland area.

April 16 (10-12) – Join the Chicago Rotary Club for a morning cleanup of Grant Park.
April 20 (4-5pm) – Palatine Library is offering an hour of Earth Day related stories, science and activities for ages 4-7. Sign up begins 4/6.
April 21 (10:30-12) – If you have kids that love nature, there will be a Nature Play Date at Lincoln Marsh in the Prairie Patch Play Area with activities and open play. Afterwards, there is a picnic lunch.
April 21 (1-1:30) – Come learn how to recycle and create art out of recycled materials at Naper Settlement.
April 22 (1-3) – Clean up litter in Schiller Woods – East. We will provide all of the supplies needed.
April 22 (11-1) – BackYard Nature Center is hosting an Earth Day Celebration at Erickson Woods in Winnetka. There will be hiking, stick carving, nature play and more.
April 22 (3:30-4:45) – Trailside Museum of Natural History is hosting After School Earth Day Activities of planting a tree, making a bird feeder or recycled art.
April 22 (10-2) – Clean up litter in Sauk Trail Woods – Central. We will provide all of the needed supplies.
April 22 (3:30-5:30) – There will be Earth Day Activities offered at Century Park Pavilion all afternoon for families.
April 23 (11-2) – Clean up litter in Beaubien Woods. We will provide all of the needed supplies.
April 23 (12-3) – Crabtree Nature Center is hosting family-friendly Earth Day Activities in their three acre nature play area.
April 24 (All Day) – There are so many fun Earth Day events happening at Brookfield Zoo.

Other Ways to Love our Planet

If you are unable to make one of the above events or a local one in your area, there are other ways to get involved this Earth Day. As noted in our Earth Day post from two years ago, attending an event is not the only way you can show love to our planet. Other ways to be involved are:

Start Your Own Compost

Find out how much garbage you can reduce by placing all of your food scraps into a compost bin instead.

Recycle Textiles

Clean out your closets and dresser this Earth Day and donate all items no longer needed to your closest CTR bin or partner resale store.

Pick Up Trash in Your Neighborhood

Simply step outside your front door to help care for our planet. Go on a family walk with a trash bag and gloves and see what litter you can help clean up around your neighborhood.

Plant Flowers to Attract Bumblebees and Butterflies

Look up which flowers attract butterflies and bumblebees and plant them in your yard to promote the longevity of these species and pollination.

To read more about these ideas on caring for our planet, click on the link above. And if you know of any other events happening in your area, please share them by commenting on the social media post so we can add them to our list. There are many simple ways to get involved and if we all work together and do our part, they all add up to big changes for our planet.

Our Company

We are CTR

August 22, 2019December 19, 2024

Who We Are

Chicago Textile Recycling is a textile recycling company that promotes a mission to divert waste from area landfills by providing textile recycling outlets all over the Chicagoland area. We formally launched our Chicago Textile Recycling (CTR) brand in 2011 as a way to develop our program more substantially after many years of offering textile recycling services under our parent company Wipeco, Inc. Currently , we service over 75 locations throughout the Chicagoland area including our donation bins and partner stores – and that number continues to grow! We also provide fundraising opportunities for area organizations, businesses and municipalities. By collecting used textiles (clothing, shoes, and household items) for reuse and recycling, CTR diverts over 2.5 million pounds of waste from area landfills annually.

As the dedicated recycling division, Chicago Textile Recycling works symbiotically with our parent company, Wipeco, Inc. to provide a closed-loop recycling solution for the local Chicagoland area. Founded in 1960 and family owned and operated, Wipeco, Inc. is Chicagoland’s Premier Wiping Rag Supplier, selling recycled wiping cloths nation-wide and extending the life of discarded textiles through repurposing.

Our company is also a member of Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles, “an international trade association…promoting the interdependence of the for-profit textile recycling industry segments and provides a common forum for networking, education and advocacy.” (quoted from the S.M.A.R.T. homepage) Our VP Justin Woycke currently serves on the Board of Directors of S.M.A.R.T.

Why We Blog

We are a company that cares about recycling and works to provide closed-loop recycling in our area. We desire a better earth for our children to grow up in by tackling one small part of the enormous waste problem. At CTR, we utilize our digital platforms to help educate the general public about the textile recycling industry while also following the latest news and trends.

What We Do

Chicago Textile Recycling offers four different programs to our recyclers and customers. We offer a Resale Store Recycling Program, Consumer Recycling Bin Program, Laundry Discards Service and Business Services Program.

Resale Store Recycling Program

Often resale stores and charities are given more donations than they can sell, or they receive donations with small rips and stains. Big chain stores have the ability to sell directly to global textile recyclers, however, smaller stores may not have the space or volume to recycle globally in this manner. That’s where we come in. CTR works as a consolidator in the Secondary Textile Industry to collect excess and unsaleable shoes and clothing from over 50 Chicagoland resale stores that otherwise may not have space or volume to sell directly.

Resale stores are paid by CTR for all goods received, allowing them to financially benefit from items that would have otherwise been landfilled. We schedule regular or call-as-needed pick-ups and provide detailed reporting for store convenience. Please contact us if you know of a resale store that may be interested in this service.

Consumer Recycling Bins

Chicago Textile Recycling partners with area organizations, businesses, and municipalities who host a collection bin to divert textiles from the waste stream and generate funds. These bins are regularly serviced and expertly maintained by our drivers. If you are interested in hosting a bin, please contact us for more info. Reliable payment and detailed volume reporting are two benefits we offer. Another benefit that ensures quality for your business is that our bins follow the SMART Collection Bin Code of Conduct.

Laundry Discards

We at CTR work with commercial laundry facilities to recycle linens (sheets, towels, washcloths) and other items no longer acceptable for circulation. Clients include:

commercial laundries
hospitals
hotels

Transportation on an as-needed or weekly scheduled basis are offered as well as reliable compensation for what is sold to us.

Business Services

Lastly, here at CTR, we offer environmentally friendly destruction of excess, outdated or misprinted branded materials. Rest assured knowing your brand identity is safe and your items are being recycled responsibly. Chicago Textile Recycling is equipped to process 100% cotton t-shirts, 100% cotton sweatshirts, and cotton/poly blend t-shirts. We offer certificates of recycling and photographic proof of destruction upon request. Find out more here.

Because We Care

Through these four programs, Chicago Textile Recycling works toward closed-loop recycling in the greater Chicagoland. We care about the environment and creating a better world for the future. CTR works in many ways to help keep Chicagoland greener and encourages everyone to do their part by recycling textiles. Please contact us with any questions or for more information.