Fire sweeps through recycling facility in Little Village
A fire broke out Thursday at a recycling facility in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, officials said.
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A fire broke out Thursday at a recycling facility in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, officials said.
Chicago is marking 30 years since it started its first citywide recycling program, which began with a problematic kickoff, and continues to lag behind other major cities in terms of performance.
December 2025 marked 30 years since the City of Chicago introduced its first citywide recycling program. It was scrapped in 2008, but despite improvements, recycling rates remain stubbornly low.
On Dec. 4, 1995, the Chicago's Blue Bag recycling program began to much fanfare. First, Burleigh Hines reports on people preparing the day before. Then, we see a family pitching in on the first day, and the inside of a waste sorting facility.
In this series of Channel 2 News special reports from May 1989, Adele Arakawa reports on the garbage disposal crisis in Northeastern Illinois and what to do about it. Arakawa talks with then-Chicago Deputy Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Tim Harrington, then-Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County executive director Bill Abolt, and other experts. Original airdates: May 17-19, 1989.
Organizers expect that of the 10,000 pounds of lights they have collected, they estimate they have saved about 3000 pounds of copper alone from inside the wires.
For people who are looking for more eco-friendly ways to get rid of those lights and trees, some groups are offering help.
Live trees can be dropped off at one of 27 drop-off locations around the city between Jan. 3 and 17.
Before doing so, all decorations must be removed before recycling.
Before doing so, all decorations must be removed before recycling.
Did you know electronic waste makes up 70% of all toxic waste in the United States? So, on Saturday, the chamber of commerce is putting on a tech recycling event on the Southport Corridor from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The events and marketing director, Teresa Hull, talks more about it.
Most of the labor and cost of managing textile waste falls on thrift stores, charities, and local governments. California is now making sure textile and clothing producers are doing their part.
Why does so much of what gets tossed into those blue recycling bins end up in the trash? CBS News Chicago visited the city's largest recycling facility for some answers.
Tara Molina got an inside look at Chicago's largest recycling facility for some answers about recycling and how Chicago is falling short.
In the U.S., one of the biggest users of single-use plastic cups is Starbucks Coffee. While Starbucks encourages customers to place those cups in recycling bins, it turns out most of the cups never get recycled. National Environmental Correspondent David Schechter reports.
"I was so excited to be on the news, knowing that lots of people saw what we are doing for the earth."
It started with recycling plastic bags from snack time but is now a full-school initiative. The kids at Corron Elementary School put together a program to keep about 100 pounds of plastic from reaching landfills each week.
Activewear is one of the fastest-growing types of fashion, but the material that gives yoga pants that extra stretch can be harmful to the environment.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the zoo's main parking lot, which is located at 8400 31st Street.
Throughout the week, the plastic is assembled in bags that are placed in front of every classroom. It all ends up in Mr. Robinson's classroom – which doubles as a recycling hub.
The fifth graders from Corron Elementary School have put together a recycling program that is keeping about 100 pounds of plastic from reaching landfills weekly in their community. CBS 2 Climate Watch Reporter Tara Molina reports.
Participants are reminded to remove all the ornaments, lights, and tinsel from the tree before dropping it off. Read more
In a now annual tradition in Sweden, volunteers chuck Christmas trees into Stockholm's icy waters. This project aims to help restore endangered ecosystems.
"We have several large buckets, trays and they fill up within two or three days."
The exchange stocks everything from books and ink toner to tools and trophies - a supply treasure-trove this group tries to keep out of the trash.
A 14-year-old girl suffered a graze wound from gunfire Monday morning in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood.
Zach Lahn won the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary over Trump's endorsed candidate, but three months before Election Day, many in his own party say they still don't know who he is.
A Florida man who once lived in Illinois has been charged with swindling at least $180,000 from four people by lying to them about short-term investment opportunities.
A Chicago man has been charged with drunk driving in a crash that killed a passenger in his SUV on the Stevenson Expressway over the weekend.
A woman died after she went into the Des Plaines River to save her son on Sunday evening in a forest preserve near north suburban Libertyville.
Zach Lahn won the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary over Trump's endorsed candidate, but three months before Election Day, many in his own party say they still don't know who he is.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s closed-door research has yet to produce evidence linking vaccines and autism.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he hasn't heard back from Sen. Mitch McConnell following formal requests for an update on his health last month amid a weekslong hospitalization.
As a Democratic Congressman, Chicago mayor, ambassador, and chief of staff in the Obama White House, Rahm Emanuel has been a key and combative moderate; he says his fight, now and in the future, is bigger than him and his party.
Americans think more young people in office would make politics better.
Illinois is one of 46 states that have reached a $15.5 million settlement with a Pennsylvania-based mortgage servicer for improperly imposing new insurance policies on homeowners who already had insurance.
The Trump administration is taking aim at power grid operator PJM Interconnection over rising electricity bills that affect Illinois and Indiana residents.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
Researchers from the University of Chicago have uncovered some information on how space travel affects — or actually doesn't affect — the heart.
As people age, it becomes crucial to do whatever possible to protect from issues like memory loss. But leading neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter said the process actually starts well before advanced age.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is not adopting new federal child vaccine guidelines and will continue following recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In a wide-ranging interview with the CBS News partner BBC News, Hunter Biden grew emotional as he discussed his father's condition, describing it as very sad to watch.
With the cyclosporiasis linked to iceberg lettuce growing and consumers wary of the products on grocery shelves, many in Chicago are turning to local farmers market for fresh and safe greens.
The Original Rainbow Cone celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday with a special event at its Beverly location.
The Shops at North Bridge on the Magnificent Mile announced plans Thursday for a multimillion-dollar renovation project.
While the building that housed the flagship Ann Sather restaurant on Belmont Avenue has been torn down, the renowned Chicago restaurant chain is now set to open a new Lakeview location.
Nationally, data centers used 17.4 billion gallons of water in 2023 — a figure projected to reach 72.6 billion gallons by 2028, raising concerns about states' water supplies.
Chicago's Wishbone Restaurant will soon be closing after 36 years in business.
Hayden Panettiere, who starred in "Remember the Titans" as a child actor and rose to fame in the series "Heroes," has died at the age of 36. The coroner's office says she was found in cardiac arrest.
Buddy Guy was honored with the Chicago Music Legend Award at the Obama Presidential Center's Chicago Culture Ball this weekend.
Bal Khabra is the author of the four-part series "Off the Ice," a college hockey romance collection that is wrapping up at just the right time.
Crews need about a week and a half to tear down the festival site before the city can begin its own inspection — and past cleanup costs have topped $1 million.
Vincent Pastore played Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on all six seasons of "The Sopranos," which aired from 1999 to 2007.
With school already back in session in some parts of the country, many parents have begun stressing about what to send every day in their kids’ lunch, but there are ways to reduce “school lunch dread.”
Meteorologist David Yeomans has your 11 a.m. First Alert Weather forecast for Monday, Aug. 17, 2026.
Search efforts are underway after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia killed nearly 70 people and injured more than 200 others.
A 60-day deadline to reach a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran is expiring on Monday, with no extension announced.
Robbins Mayor Darren Bryant was inside a restaurant picking up a food order when gunfire rang out. Lauren Victory reports.
One man died and another was hospitalized after falling into Lake Michigan near the 31st Street Beach on Sunday night.
The mayor of the south Chicago suburb of Robbins was grazed by a bullet wound during a shooting at a restaurant and bar over the weekend.
Hayden Panettiere, who starred in "Remember the Titans" as a child actor and rose to fame in the sci-fi series "Heroes," has died at the age of 36.
It comes just a week after another high-profile party inside, sparking concerns about safety and cost.
A 14-year-old girl suffered a graze wound from gunfire Monday morning in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood.
The discovery of dozens of decomposing bodies at a Chicago funeral home run by a couple with a history of mishandling human remains has raised questions about how Illinois regulates the funeral home and crematory industries.
An arrest at a Lululemon athletic wear store in the Gold Coast neighborhood in Chicago led investigators to a crew that was exploiting unhoused people and responsible for thefts totaling $100,000.
More violations at Chicago's Bohemian National Cemetery and Crematorium have surfaced, which is now under investigation for its role in mishandling bodies connected to the family that ran South Chicago Chapel.
Many unanswered questions remain after 56 decomposing bodies were found inside a Chicago funeral home last week.
A lawsuit on behalf of a man who was shot and killed by police in Humboldt Park in March claims a CPD officer fired deadly shots just after arriving at a controlled scene instead of de-escalating.
Kamilla Cardoso had 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Natasha Cloud scored 20 points.
Chicago lost for the third time in four games.
Munetaka Murakami hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning and the Chicago White Sox rallied for a 7-5 win over the Detroit Tigers to complete a three-game sweep.
One of Tommy John's biggest legacies to MLB was his comeback elbow reconstruction surgery that now bears his name.
The series ends Sunday afternoon when the Cardinals send Hunter Dobbins against fellow right-hander Edward Cabrera.
A 14-year-old girl suffered a graze wound from gunfire Monday morning in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood.
Chicago police early Monday were looking for three people who they said got into a fight with a man in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, and then shot and killed him.
A driver caused a chain-reaction crash in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood after fleeing from troopers, Illinois State Police said Monday morning.
A woman was shot and killed early Sunday morning in front of the Original Maxwell Street hot dog and Polish sausage stand in Chicago's West Garfield Park neighborhood.
A woman was killed in a shooting on Chicago's Near West Side early Sunday morning.
