South Suburban College has been awarded a grant from The Recycling Partnership to further the mission of the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM).
The Recycling Partnership is a national group focused on boosting municipal recycling. This non-governmental organization has also agreed to provide technical assistance to Cook County and SSC staff in various other recycling initiatives in the South Suburbs.
Supplemental educational marketing dollars are also provided as a result of the grant to assist with community awareness and outreach programming efforts.
In April 2023, Cook County and South Suburban College (SSC) partnered to establish CHaRM on the college’s main campus, 15800 South State St. in South Holland.
The SSC partnership with Cook County, funded primarily through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant, has significantly impacted recycling in Southland communities, processing over 40,000 pounds of materials in just four months of CHaRM facility operations.
The CHaRM facility provides Cook County residents with a dedicated recycling drop-off point that helps divert millions of pounds of waste and hard-to-recycle items from local landfills and water systems annually. A cutting-edge compactor was recently purchased and installed, making the collection and transport of recyclables more efficient and helping to reduce the operating cost of the CHaRM facility.
CHaRM is open to all Cook County residents by appointment or during regular hours on Tuesdays from 7 a.m. to noon, Thursdays from 2 to 7 p.m., and the second Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CHaRM accepts a wide range of items for recycling, including clothing, furniture, e-waste, glass, metal, paper, plastic, small appliances, Styrofoam, and textiles. Televisions are only accepted during Saturday hours.
Visit www.ssc.edu/charm for a comprehensive list of accepted materials and to make a drop-off reservation. Contact Antwon Russell, SSC Sustainability Coordinator, at 708-596-2000, ext. 2440 or via email at [email protected] for more information or to inquire about the CHaRM at SSC.
