Resource Center

The Resource Center is a sustainability focused Non-Profit in the Chicagoland area dedicated to creative solutions for revitalising localised economies.The Resource Center is the largest non-profit recycling organization in the Chicago area. The Resource Center runs a variety of different programs to promote environmental education in an urban area.Recycling programs include multi-stream drop-off, pick-up, and buy-back programs in neighborhoods throughout Chicago. Urban Farms include City Farm and the Square Mile of Sustainability initiative, which serve as a successful models of urban food production and closed loop food cycles.Food to Farm Compost collects food scraps from restaurants, schools, and businesses throughout the city to turn into rich food-grade compost for farming and gardening.The Perishable Food Recovery program connects local food pantries and shelters with surplus produce and perishable food from supermarkets, restaurants, and caterers. Creative Reuse Warehouse collects surplus industrial products for reuse by artists, teachers, and the general public. The programs that have evolved over more than thirty years of resource recovery are wide and varied, yet specifically designed to meet the needs of as many neighborhoods as possible, across geographical and socio-economic barriers.For more than 35 years, the Resource Center continues to build on its legacy of pioneering work in resource recovery and sustainability revitalisation of local economies.The Resource Center develops sustainable local solutions by making practical use of the resources at hand—both human and material—and cultivating the connections within society to restore value where it has been withdrawn from both the environment and the community.We pursue projects in five main program areas: Perishable Food Recovery, Urban Agriculture, Residential and Commercial Recycling, Food and Organics Composting, and Creative Reuse.