Mark your calendar for the autumn 2026 edition of Reuse-a-Palooza at The Plant on Sun. Oct. 4 from 11am-3pm!
This semiannual event provides opportunities to repair clothing and household items, safely dispose tricky-to-recycle items, and donate bicycles, clothing, and more, all the while bringing attention to strategies to reduce waste and improve environmental conditions. We’ll be joined by an amazing group of waste-reduction and repurposing enthusiasts focusing on economically, environmentally, and socially responsible approaches to purchasing and consumption.
Here’s an overview of the program:
REPAIR
Community Glue Workshop - Working on just about any busted, torn, or short-circuited item you can fit through the front door. Please ensure that any articles of clothing brought in for repair have been washed (please note that they won’t do alterations, just mending)!
REDUCE + REPURPOSE
Reduce Waste Chicago - Accepting select items such as used dental products, old pens and markers, contact lens packaging and dozens more additional items for responsible recycling and repurposing. Click here and navigate to the Reuse-a-Palooza dropdown for a detailed list.
PCs for People - Collecting computers and old technology (only as listed here) for refurbishing and donation.
Cradles to Crayons - Accepting clothing in all shapes and sizes (only as listed here).
PAWS Chicago - Accepting towels and sheets to keep the pups and kits cozy as they await their new homes, plus pet supplies and food (see their wish list).
Working Bikes - Accepting bicycles and old bike tire tubes.
The Struggling Black Girl Magic Club - Accepting skateboards, roller skates, and non-motorized scooters, as well as school uniform garments (any color and size, and no shoes unless they are gym shoes in wearable condition).
ReStore Chicago - Accepting household & kitchen appliances, home goods, lawn & garden equipment, hardware, tools, artwork, and lighting, only as listed here.
Chicago Textile Center- Accepting gently-used fabric, no clothing.
Chicago Creative Reuse Exchange - Accepting office supplies and more, as listed here.
The Battery Network - Accepting Primary (single-use) and rechargeable batteries, and cell phones. Only as listed here.
For Whitney Young High School art classes: Old/broken toys, dolls, small stuffed animals; broken watches or jewelry; old magazines with lots of photos/graphics.
DISCOVER + DISCUSS
350 Chicago - Discussing new strategies to reduce your environmental footprint and advocate for greater change.
Urban Canopy - Providing education on diverting food waste from the landfill to compost.
City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation - Showing waste mapping tools and spreading the word on their city-wide food scrap initiative.
Trash Castle - A micro-recycling workshop located at Bubbly, they’ll be promoting their upcoming workshops and material collections through the winter. Products will be available!
Kukucachew - Drop in to their demo workshop on cooking with scraps in the South Side Cellars.
Degrowth Institute - Challenging perspectives on endless economic growth to achieve global sustainability.
Feed and Conserve Illinois - Sharing resources on the movement to support food recovery and diversion.
FOOD + DRINK
The Jungle Taproom is pending their new liquor license and they will not be serving alcoholic beverages this time.
Raza's Pizza will be open, offering NY-style pizzas, burgers, and more out of the kitchen, from 12-5pm.
MeetStop by Ste. Martaen will be popping up as well with their signature vegan comfort food.
Whiskey Row Cafe will be serving craft brewed coffee, signature drinks, fresh cold cut sandwiches, and good energy, from 8am-1pm in the lobby!
TOUR OF THE PLANT
A tour of The Plant will be offered at 2pm sharp. Advance tickets are strongly encouraged, as this tour sells out quick! Tour tickets can be purchased at this link. Tours are free for 60609 residents—since this online shop doesn’t offer that option, please email us to reserve your spot!
GET INVOLVED
Want to be part of the action? Sign up to volunteer by emailing us!
You can also volunteer with Reduce Waste Chicago for this event by signing up here!