Most of us use our blue garbage bins each week for recycling papers, bottles, boxes and cans, but there are so many other items in your home that can and should be recycled. Celebrate Earth Week and teach your children how easy it is to reduce our impact on earth by participating in a recycling event this week. SWALCO, the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, has made recycling in Lake County so easy, with collections sites and events all over Lake County, that there is no excuse not to recycle your shoes, textiles, household chemical waste and electronics.
Shoes
A simple way to save space in our landfills is donating your old shoes. 95% or more of shoes donated to SWALCO get recycled or reused. Many locations all over Lake County have permanent SWALCO shoe collection boxes. A full list of those locations can be found here. In addition, there are some special shoe drives going on right now to celebrate Earth Week. All types of shoes can be donated except Rollerblades, Ice Skates and Winter Boots. Please tie or rubber band shoes together in pairs.
Monday April 20th – Wednesday April 29th
Village of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Public Works, 205 Schelter Road
Daniel Wright Middle School, 1370 N Riverwoods Rd
Half Day School, 239 Olde Half Day Rd
Laura B. Sprague School, 2425 Riverwoods Rd
Monday April 20th – Wednesday April 29th
Village of Riverwoods
Riverwoods Village Hall
Through Wednesday April 29
Fremont Township. Drop them off at your convenience. There is a bin on the porch at our Fremont Township Administrative Offices, 22385 Route 60, Mundelein.
Eyeglasses
You don’t have to toss your old prescription eyeglasses. Whether your vision has changed, your style has changed or your frames are broken, those old glasses can be donated. Donating is easy through the Lions Club Eyeglass recycling centers. Glasses will be cleaned and classified by prescription, and sent to optical missions in developing countries. You can find eyeglass drop off at many village halls or opticians offices year round. In addition, there is an eyeglass drive being held in honor of earth month this week. Any prescription lens with frames will be accepted.
Monday April 20th – Wednesday April 29th
Village of Riverwoods
Riverwoods Village Hall
Textiles
It’s estimated that 85% of clothing and textiles end up in landfills each year. SWALCO is working to reduce this waste by establishing textile recycling sites throughout Lake County. Clothing that is stained or ripped, and that may not be suitable for donation, can now be recycled. Over 95% of items collected will be recycled or reused, and kept out of landfills. Click here for a full list of year round locations that will accept materials.
Acceptable Items:
Clothing Items: blouses and shirts, coats and jackets, dresses, halloween costumes, hats and scarves, pants, shorts and jeans, pet clothing, socks (single or in pairs), suits and tuxedos, swimsuits, sweaters and sweatshirts, ties, undergarments
Clothing accessories: backpacks, belts, purses and handbags, tote bags
Household Textiles: bedspreads, duvets, comforters, sheets, blankets, and quilts, curtains, drapes, sofa covers, table linens, towels and washcloths
Unacceptable Items:
Wet, smelly, or moldy items, pillows, sleeping bags, mattresses, rugs, carpet, cushions, foam furniture and foam mats, vinyl shower curtains, large luggage
Household Chemical Waste
Saturday April 25th 8am – 2:30pm
Mobile Collection
Round Lake Beach
Metra Train Station
630 Hook Drive
(west of Home Depot)
Monday, April 27th (by appointment only)
1311 N. Estes St. Gurnee
Click here to schedule an appointment
Accepted Materials: Aerosol Products, Antifreeze & Motor Oil, Fertilizers, Herbicides
Pesticides, Fluorescent Light Bulbs/CFLs, Furniture Stripper & Varnishes, Gasoline &
Kerosene, Household Batteries (Lithium & Rechargeable only), Household Cleaners,
Oil-Based Paints & Paint Removers, Prescription and over-the counter
medicines and supplements (people & pet) - NO DEA Controlled Substances
Not Accepted: Latex paint, DEA Controlled substances, business wastes,
farm chemicals, propane tanks, lead-acid and alkaline batteries, explosives, medical or
biohazard wastes, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and household electronics.
Electronics Recycling
Electronics items such as televisions, computer monitors, printers, fax machines and tablets are prohibited by Illinois Law from being thrown away into landfills. Other electronics are allowed, but can easily be recycled, reducing waste. Year round collection sites for electronics recycling are available around Lake County. Click here for full locations.
Acceptable Items:
Batteries, cable receivers, cameras, cassette tapes, CD players, compact discs, computers (including tablets), computer drives, digital converter boxes, digital video disc players, digital video disc recorders, Electronic Keyboards, Electronic Mice, Facsimile Machines, Holiday Lights, Mainframes, Microwave ovens, Modems, Monitors, PDA Organizers, Portable Digital Music Players, Printers, Satellite Receivers,
Scanners, Shredders, Software Discs (floppy and zip), Small Household Appliances, Small Scale Servers, Stereos, Tablets, Telephones, Televisions, VCR Tapes, Video Cassette Recorders, Video Discs, Video Game Consoles
Unacceptable items:
Air Conditioners, Broken Glass, Dehumidifiers, Electric Fixtures, Fluorescent Light Bulbs, Large Household Appliances, Lead Acid Batteries, Liquid or Chemical Waste, Paint Cans, Packaging Materials, Fire Extinguishers, Smoke and Fire Detectors
Garden Pots and Trays
Bring your plastic garden pots, containers, and polystyrene cellpacks and trays to recycle.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Parking lot 4
Chicago Botanic Garden
Help save reusable materials from landfills. Bring your plastic garden pots, cellpacks, trays, and plant labels to the Chicago Botanic Garden for recycling. Recyclables accepted are No. 2, 4, 5, and 6 materials. Staff and volunteers will be available to accept and sort recyclable in parking lot 4. They will also be collecting electronics for recycling and old vases and baskets for re-use.
Standard parking fees apply. Garden members receive free parking.
Leave a Reply