At the Recycling Extravaganza, old and used-up items will get a new life, providing necessities and opportunities to people who need them, while keeping tons of waste out of already-packed landfills.
The College’s first recycling event, held last spring, focused on electronics—a way to safely dispose of old VCRs, computers and TVs. That focus is especially important this year, now that state law prohibits consumers from throwing out electronics with ordinary trash, and also prohibits landfills from accepting them. During the Recycling Extravaganza, electronics of all kinds will be accepted by Creative Recycling Services, a company that will break them down into glass, plastics, ferrous and non-ferrous metals that then can be sold to manufacturers and reused.
In addition, a number of non-profit social service and green-focused organizations will be on hand at the Extravaganza, looking for donations of everything from dented bicycles to leftover building scraps to eyeglasses:
- The DuPage Habitat for Humanity ReStore will accept unwanted appliances, tools and building materials, which then will be sold to the general public at greatly reduced prices, with the proceeds to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
- The Working Bikes Cooperative will repair discarded bicycles and ship them overseas to depressed countries or areas hit by natural disasters, where a working bike can mean the difference between work and unemployment. The group also will accept wheelchairs, child seats and sewing machines.
- SCARCE, or School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education, and the Cornerstone Used Book Store will be accepting books, gently used school and arts & craft supplies, buttons and LP records. These will be donated to at-risk schools, daycare centers and after-school programs.
- St. Vincent DePaul will turn donations of clean clothing, linens and household items into direct assistance to the poor in the form of home visits to the elderly, housing assistance, job training programs and food pantries.
- The Elmhurst Lions Club will reuse donated hearing aids and reading glasses to help people with vision and hearing impairments.
A number of other services also will be offered at the event, including paper shredding, and a place to get rid of batteries and fire extinguishers, and propane and oxygen tanks.
The Recycling Extravaganza will be held from 9:00 a.m. to noon on April 14 in the Mill Theatre Parking Lot. A complete list of acceptable items is available on the College’s Sustainability web site. For more information, email sustainable@elmhurst.edu.