Defenders to host recycling drive Saturday
The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County will conduct a recycling drive from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 11, in front of the Soil & Water Conservation District building at 2222 S. Dean St., just south of Route 14, in Woodstock.
The Defenders recycle materials that are not collected in curbside recycling but would be harmful to the environment if put in a landfill. It costs them to recycle these unusual items and therefore monetary donations of any size would be appreciated from everyone who brings materials to the drive.
They will take household batteries, alkaline and rechargeable; car batteries; fluorescent tubes; clean Styrofoam; VHS and cassette tapes; CDs, DVDs; packing peanut; and reusable, unpopped Bubble Wrap. Electronics, such as computers, televisions, phones, printers, clean microwaves and electronic toys, are accepted. TVs and computer monitors will be accepted for a donation of $10-$35. Become a new member at the recycling drive, at the basic or higher level, and get two coupons to recycle a television or monitor free.
USAgain Clothes Collection System, www.usagain.com, provides a truck at each drive to accept any kind of cloth items including clothing, linens or just plain rags, clean and bagged. They also will accept shoes, tied together by their laces and placed in the bag.
There are additional drop off sites for electronics: Algonquin Township Road District 3702 Route 14, Crystal Lake, (847) 639-2700, ext. 6; Computer Recycling Center in Crystal Lake for computers only, (815) 455-6300, call for information; and Lakewood's electronics drop-off site at 6570 Haligus Road, south of Ballard Road. Also, Styrofoam can be dropped off any time at the Lakewood Village Hall or the Lakewood Public Works building on Haligus Road.
Defenders will accept donations of aluminum cans at all recycling drives to help fund their educational and advocacy programs.
The recycling drives are held on the second Saturday of each month, alternating between McHenry in odd-numbered months and Woodstock in even-numbered months. Area residents can drive up and drop off their recyclables with Defenders' volunteers, who help to unload and sort the materials.
For information about the recycling schedule and types of materials accepted, or to access the Green Guide recycling directory which is put out annually by the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at MCC, visit www.mcdef.org/recycling, or follow them at www.facebook.com/EnvironmentalDefenders.
The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. The group provides the community with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation. Donations are encouraged and are tax-deductible as charitable contributions. For information, visit www.mcdef.org or call (815) 338-0393, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday.