Come to the Green Side

Do you have a fire extinguisher that looks something like this model?  Or, maybe you’ve had one hanging around the kitchen, basement, garage or workshop that has seen its better days?  Now is the time to switch out the old model in a safe, eco-friendly way.

The Environmental Committee of the Village of Schaumburg is hosting a free fire extinguisher recycling event for residents (no businesses.)

Saturday, November 17  10 a.m.–1 p.m. 

Schaumburg Public Safety Building
1000 W. Schaumburg Road

Once you’ve recycled the old model, be sure and update with a newer one!

Contact Martin Metreger of the Engineering and Public Works Department at 847.923.6644 if you have any questions.

Did you miss Schaumburg’s big Electronic Recycling Event in April?  Or, have you accumulated more electronic waste since then?  If so, now is the time to gather it together and bring it to:

Crabtree Nature Center
3 Stove Road
Barrington, IL
Saturday, June 23 from 9-2

They will be accepting electronic technology waste.  This does not include broken TVs, projection TVs or any type of TV encased in wood.  Also any type of appliance, small or large, is prohibited.

This program is being funded by the Cook County Department of Environmental Control and is being held  in conjunction with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the Delta Institute.

See this for more info.

The Village of Hoffman Estates is now collecting printer ink and toner cartridges from both home and business.

This program is coordinated with a local “green business,” Clover Technologies Group, which collects the materials and processes them into recycled and remanufactured products.

Please bring your empty cartridges to the Hoffman Estates Village Hall at 1900 Hassell Road and deposit them in the marked box near the front counter.  Cartridges already made from recycled materials are accepted.

The program is welcome to the public.

At many of the local Recycling Events, people quite often bring leftover paint with them, hoping that these cans will be accepted.  Unfortunately, that is hardly ever the case.  The fact of the matter is there are very few locations in the area–let alone Schaumburg Township–where paint may be dropped off.  You might consider:

Northern Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity Re-Store
800 N. State Street
Elgin, IL  60123
(847) 742-9905
*They will accept almost-full cans that are less than a year old.

Otherwise, we offer these hints for getting rid of the paint yourself in a safe, ecological manner.

You first need to determine if it’s latex or oil-based paint.  If it is oil-based, that is considered a hazardous waste and needs to be dropped off at one of the area’s hazardous waste locations.  That list can be found below.  If it is latex, try these solutions:

• If less than one-fourth of the paint in the can still remains, simply leave it in the sun to dry out. Once solid, you can throw away the paint with the rest of your trash.
• If a lot of paint remains, brush the excess on newspaper or cardboard paper and leave it out in the sun to dry.
• Another option is to mix the paint with an equal amount of kitty litter and leave it open to dry.

The paint may then be disposed of in your trash although it is a good idea to leave the can open so that the garbage man is aware the paint is dried up.

For those of you with oil-based paint, the hazardous waste locations are:

Naperville Fire Station #4 1971 Brookdale Road Naperville, IL 630-420-4190 Saturday and Sunday, 9-2.   No latex paint.

Solid Waste Agency of Lake County 1311 N. Estes St. Gurnee, IL By appt only for all IL residents Collections on 2nd Saturday & 4th Monday; Upcoming on Feb. 13 & 22, March 13 & 22. 847-336-9340

Rockford Rock River Reclamation District 3333 Kishwaukee Rockford, IL 8-4 Sat.; 12-4 Sun. 815-387-7400.  No latex paint.

Cook County Goose Island 1150 N. Branch St. Chicago, IL 312-744-7606 Tues. 7-12; Thurs. 2-7;  1st Saturday of month 8-3.   No latex paint.

In September 2009, Illinois passed the Electronics Products Recycling and Reuse Act.  With the passage of this bill, Illinois becames the 16th state in the U.S. to ban electronic items from the state’s landfills.

Items that can no longer be disposed of in your garbage are:

• TVs and monitors
• Computers:  desktops, laptops and tablets
• Computer accessories:  keyboards and mice
• Printers and scanners
• Fax machines
• VCRS, DVD players/recorders
• Videogame consoles
• Portable music players
• Digital converter boxes
• Cable/satellite receivers

Now is the time to take note–and advantage–of local electronic recycling events.  The villages of Elk Grove Village and Hoffman Estates are SWANCC communities and they provide a number of programs throughout the year.  Check out their website at www.swancc.org.  The Village of Schaumburg provides a big electronics recycling event every April.  And, the village of Hanover Park has an ongoing electronics dropoff at their Public Works facility on Lake Street.

The EPA also has a list of Registered Residential E-Waste Collection sites here.
Some of the local sites are:

•  Goodwill Retail Services  900 W. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, 262-551-2843
• Goodwill Retail Services  1420 S. IL Route 59, Bartlett, 262-551-2843
• Goodwill Retail Services   543 E. North Avenue, Glendale Heights, 262-551-2843
• Groot Industries, Inc.  1759 Elmhurst Road , Elk Grove Village, 773-242-1977
• Vintage Tech Recyclers  6N030 Rosedale Road, Bloomingdale (no phone number listed)

Keep this blog in your favorites and we’ll keep you up to date on any upcoming events!

If you have unwanted, unused, or out-of-date prescription drugs in your house, this is an opportunity for you to dispose of them in a safe, secure manner. 

The DEA, in conjunction with local and state law enforcement entitites, will be sponsoring a drop-off event on:

Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. 
Hoffman Estates Police Department
411 Higgins Road
Hoffman Estates

*Unfortunately no liquids or needles will be accepted at this event.

For more info, contact Police Sgt. Joe Dornbos at 847-781-2823 or joe.dornbos@hoffmanestates.org

Fall is here and it’s time to experience what this time of the year must have been like on an 1880s farm.  Join the Schaumburg Park District as they hold their annual Autumn Harvest Festival on October 2, 2011 from 12:00 to 5:00 at Spring Valley’s Volkening Heritage Farm.  They are located at 1111 E. Schaumburg Road.  Admission is $4 per person; $16 per family of six or fewer with additional members $4 per person. Children three and under are free.

Come join the fun:

• See scheduled demonstrations of cow milking, cider pressing, working draft horses and more.
• Visit a frontier camp, smell food cooked over an open fire and the inside of a Native American wigwam.
• Enjoy children’s crafts, live old-time music, food and refreshments. Additional fees apply for food and beverages.
• Help with farm chores and harvesting.
• Watch a blacksmith at work.
• Decorate a pumpkin.

Call 847/985-2100 for more information.

Ever wonder how to take care of those pesky dandelions without spraying poison on them?  You might just get that question answered at Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. 

Join Mike Nowak, the Chicago radio voice of gardening, as he brings a lively discussion on organic lawn care to this open, free event.  Your yard may just be dandelion-free by the end of the summer! 

For more information, call (847) 985-2100.

Get your house or business ready for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 26 2011.   From 8:30 to 9:30 local time, you have the ability to join with millions of people around the world and make a difference.  Simply turn the lights out in your home and business for one hour as a symbolic way to highlight the call for climate change.    

Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

For more info on Earth Hour or to make your own pledge, see the Earth Hour website.