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Starting Wednesday, July 1st, the City of Gary is rolling out a Bi-Weekly Recycling Pick-Up.
You must register your address to participate in the program. Simply call our friendly team at 219-882-8445.
The Recycling Commitment Pledge is also available online.
Click here to fill out the pledge >>
Place your approved recycling bin in front of your home on your assigned pick-up day.
Want to learn more? Click to Download the Program PDF >>
Call us at 219-882-8445 if you need to:
We are grateful for your continued interest in recycling and invite you to be part of this renewed effort. Our new program is designed to improve service, reduce contamination, and ensure the materials collected can be recycled. Recycling only works when it is clean, consistent, and properly managed.
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To keep the program clean and effective, compliance will be closely monitored.
The program’s success depends on resident commitment, so all existing recycling customers must confirm their intent to continue under the new guidelines.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Recycling in Gary is about taking pride in our neighborhoods and protecting our local environment. Every item you recycle reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills, which helps keep our city-operated waste collection efficient and cost-effective.
The new collection process begins July 1, 2026 (Residential only).
Place your bin at the curb in front of your home, not in the alley.
All bins must contain recyclable items only to be serviced. If you get a yellow tag, you are not in compliance and must remove all non-recycling items.
Acceptable Items:
* Paper
* Glass
* Cardboard
* Aluminum & Tin Cans
Not Acceptable Items:
* Diapers
* Plastic Bags
* Shoes/ Clothes
* Food Waste
* Yard Waste
* Greasy Pizza Boxes
Place your bin at the curb the night before your scheduled collection day to ensure it is ready when collection crews arrive.
Leave at least 3 feet of space between bins, vehicles, mailboxes, utility poles, and other obstacles.
Acceptable Bins: The Green Bin with a Yellow Top or the Black Bin with a Green Top.
If your bin is not at the curb when the collection truck arrives, it may not be serviced until your next scheduled pickup day.
Please remove bins from the curb as soon as possible after collection and no later than the end of the day.
📞219-882-8445
📧 Email: mwoods@gary.gov
📍 Address: 900 Madison | Gary, IN 46402
The mission of the City of Gary Recycling Department is to help protect the environment, to reduce the waste collection and promote programs that will educate the importance of the Three R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Garbage - Weekly Pick-up
Republic Services provides weekly collection services to residents in the City of Gary. Residents may dispose of one (1) bulk item with each weekly collection. For questions, contact (219) 662-8600.
Garbage Can Request
To request a garbage can, contact (219) 883-1027 or (219) 944-0595 Ext. 1918
This service is available to City of Gary Residents Only. Residents may visit the dump site 3 times a month free of charge.
Transfer Station/ Dumping Locations
1525 Clay St. Lake Station, IN 46402 | (219) 963-9400
102 W. Columbus Dr. East Chicago, IN | (219) 398-6550
Monday - Friday from 7:30AM - 3:00PM
Not Accepted Items
Plastic: Bread /Storage Bags, Large Storage Bins, Plastic Wrap, Snack Bags (chips, fruit snacks etc) Flex packaging (baby food pouches, fruit snacks pouches etc.) CD, DVD Packaging, Bubble Wrap Plastic Silverware, Motor Oil Containers, Clothes Hangers, Straws
Glass: Light Bulbs, Mirrors, Window Glass Dishes/ Drinking Glasses
Cartons: Foam Egg Cartons, Ice Cream Cartons
Metal: Large Scrap Metal, Aerosol Cans
Other: Diapers, Wood, Yard Waste
Residents can recycle cardboard boxes (folded), paperboard (such as cereal and food boxes), paper (newspapers, magazines, junk mail), and clean plastic.
We will shred your personal documents at the City of Gary Recycling Department.
Monday - Friday | 7:30am-2:30pm | Closed for Lunch Noon-1pm
2 Banker Boxes or 2 Grocery Bags (Per Week)
(Please remove all paper clips, binders and staples)
For any questions on the NIPSCO program. Please call 1-800-721-7385 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. -s p.m.
•You must be a NIPSCO residential electric customer with active service
• You must own the appliance
• An adult (18 years or older) must be available at the time of pick-up
• Limit of two (2) large appliances (refrigerator and or freezer) and two (2) small appliances (room air conditioner and or dehumidifier) per program year, Refrigerators and freezers must be 10-30 cubic feet and be plugged in, working/cooling and empty at the time of pick-up
• There is no size requirements for room air conditioners or dehumidifiers, but they must be removed from the wall or window,*" unplugged and placed near an outlet so the driver can confirm the unit is in working condition at the time of pick-up. These can be picked up without a fridge or freezer request.
• The old appliance will be delivered to a safe recycling facility
• In rare instances, older units that use sulfur dioxide (SO2) as a refrigerant are not eligible for recycling, and we can only determine if your appliance contains SO2 upon visual inspection
CVS | 1350 BROADWAY GARY, IN.
219.885.6355
CVS | 5301 BROADWAY MERRILLVILLE, IN
219.884.0004
WALGREENS | 2500 GRANT St. GARY, IN
219.949.1055
Place leaves and grass in brown bags. Do not put the bags in the street!
Monday - Broadway & Glen Park East & West Side
Tuesday - Miller Area
Wednesday - Marshal Town / Glen Ryan / Aetna
Thursday - 9th Ave. to 6th Ave., MLK to Tri State
Friday - Black Oak & Broadway / Cline 2nd & 10th Ave. / Broadway to Cline / Clark Rd to Colfax, 9th to 15th Ave.
NO DIRT and ROCKS
NO TRASH
BAGS OVER 50 lbs WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
DROP OFF SITE ONLY – 900 Madison Street. Please DO NOT place these items in front of your home – they will NOT be picked up.
TVs and monitors with broken screens WILL NOT be accepted.
Lake County Indiana residents can recycle their electronics for FREE at the following locations. These locations listed below are strictly for electronics from RESIDENTS as these are small centers and are NOT open to any business or organization.
Computers (PC's & Laptops)
Palm Pilots
Monitors
Stereos
Zip Drives
Televisions
Keyboards, cords & mice
Typewriters
Hard Drives
VCR's
Printers
Adding Machines
Scanners
Cell Phones
Fax Machines
DVD Players
Copiers
Electronic Games (Nintendo, PlayStation, etc.)
Best Buy - The following was reported in a WasteAge article on January 26, 2009. Best Buy began taking e-waste recycling nationwide on 2-15-09. Consumers will be allowed to drop off two items, per household each day, free of charge. A $10.00 recycling fee will be charged per unit for items with screens such at televisions, monitors and laptop computers. Consumers will receive a $10.00 gift card in exchange for the recycling fee, except in its California stores or for the company's exclusively branded products.
Stores also will not accept televisions or monitors larger than 32 inches, console televisions, appliances, microwaves and items that contain Freon. Contact a local Best Buy store for more information.
Dell - Dell offers free returns on all Dell branded products. For more information go to http://www.dell.com/recycle
DID YOU KNOW?
Office Depot and Staples offers electronic recycling, too! Contact them to see what they are currently offering.
All Lake County Residents can use the following sites:
Lowell Street Department
598 Union Avenue
Lowell, IN
Hours: 8:00 am until 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday
219-696-4455
Whiting City Garage
1915 Front Street
Whiting, IN
Hours: 8:00 am until 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday
219-659-1219
Hobart City Barns
340 S. Shelby
Hobart, IN
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday thru Friday
219-942-6121
Crown Point Street Department
705 Industrial Blvd. (use Summit Street to Industrial Blvd.)
Crown Point, IN
Hours - 7:30 a. m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday
219-662-3252
Cedar Lake Public Works Dept.
8550 Lakeshore Drive
Cedar Lake, IN
Hours - Monday thru Friday 7am to 3pm
219-374-7478
Munster Public Works Dept.
508 Fisher Street
Munster, IN
Hours - Monday thru Friday, 7am to 2pm
219-836-6972
Gary Recycling Department
900 Madison Street, Gary, IN
219-882-8445
Household Hazardous Waste
This program provides service to household residents of Lake County, Indiana. Residents of Lake County, Indiana can participate at any collection event.
The program is not available to businesses, churches, organizations or those who live outside Lake County, Indiana. This program is a mobile program which changes event locations throughout Lake County, Indiana.
* Aerosols
* Ammunition
*Automotive
--Antifreeze
--Oils and Other Fluids
*Batteries
--Household only (example: AA’s, AAA’s, C’s, D’s, Lithium; and rechargeable batteries NiCad’s, etc.)
* Corrosives
* Medication (expired or unwanted)
*Mercury-Containing Products
--Compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s) – place in a sealed baggie
--Fluorescent Tubes
--Thermometers – place in a sealed baggie
--Thermostats – place in a sealed baggie
--Other mercury-containing items
*Paint and Related Products
--Oil-based paint
--Thinners
--Solvents
--Latex based paint – Gallons more than half full
--Latex Paint Recycling and Reuse Program
Did you know Latex Paint is not hazardous and you don’t have to wait for a household hazardous waste collection to dispose of it? Good reusable latex paint (not sitting longer than a year and has been kept out of the cold weather, such as being stored in an unheated garage or shed) can be taken to the Hobart City Barns, 340 S. Shelby in Hobart. If you have a ½ gallon or less you can manage that yourself rather than waiting sometimes in long lines at a household hazardous waste collection. Latex paint can be dried out by leaving the lid off the can and stirring in enough clay cat litter (non-clumping) until you can’t add anymore to speed the drying process. Once dried to a solid, you can place the can in your curbside trash with the lids separate.
*Poisons
--Pesticides
--Fungicides
--Herbicides
--Insecticides
--Other Poisons
*Sharps – medical needles must be contained in a Sharps container OR a rigid plastic container such as a detergent bottle (NO milk containers)
*Waste Fuels
--Diesel
--Gasoline
--Kerosene
--Other flammable liquids
Business/Schools/Organizations hazardous waste
Asbestos
Batteries – Auto, Truck or Marine (recycle them where you purchased a new one; Scrap Yards; or AutoZone, O’Reilly’s for an in-store credit.)
Controlled medications
Explosives – contact your local fire department for disposal
Large grill propane cylinders – (recycle them at AmeriGas, 804 E. Morthland Blvd. (U.S. 30), Valparaiso, IN)
Containers larger than five gallons
Medical waste other than medicine and sharps
Radioactive materials (smoke detectors – recycle them by sending them back to the manufacturer)
All Lake County RESIDENTS can utilize the following Hazardous Household Waste collection sites:
The City of Gary Recycling Department provides recycling services free of charge for all residents. Scroll down to learn more.
Yes. Currently the City of Gary provides curbside recycling pick up service. To use the service, residents can put recycling in their recycling bins on the same day of their garbage pick-up.
Residents can recycle cardboard boxes (folded), paperboard (such as cereal and food boxes), glass, aluminum cans, paper (newspapers, magazines, junk mail), and plastics (1,2,3,4,5, 7).
Download the Flyer: 2025 Recycling Accepted Items
UPDATE (FEB 13, 2025)
Yes. the City of Gary will transition to a drop -off program during 2025. However, to ensure a smooth transition to the new drop-off recycling program, the City of Gary will continue residential pick-up service until further notice.
The rising costs of home recycling pick-up have made it difficult to maintain the service. For over a decade, the Gary Sanitary District has subsidized garbage and recycling services for approximately 22,000 households without passing on the rising costs to residents, but only about 2,400 households have actively participated in the recycling program. The drop-off model has proven successful in many neighboring communities such as Portage, IN and ensures efficient and responsible use of funds.
For additional questions about the program or recycling cans, contact the Recycling Department at cogrecycling@gary.gov or call (219) 882-8445.
Michelle Woods
Director of Recycling
(219) 882-8445 ext.3
Anthony Morris
Foreman of Recycling
(219) 882-8445 ext.3
Office Location:
900 Madison
Gary, IN 46402
(219) 882-8445 Ext. 3
(219) 880-2059 Fax
Team Email:
cogrecycling@gary.gov