Clothes recycling bin coming to Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich's community services facility will become a collection point for those who want to recycle unwanted clothing and other items.
Village board members Monday night voted 5-0 in favor of the clothing and textile recycling deal with the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. The recycling bin will be near the community service facility's public entrance at 505 Telser Road.
As part of the agreement, Lake Zurich will receive a 33 percent share of the per-pound credits for the household textiles and clothing received in the village. Officials said the village can expect $500 to $1,000 annually.
Lake Zurich will join about 20 Lake County towns now offering textile and clothing recycling bins in the effort led by the solid waste agency.
Merleanne Rampale, the agency's public information officer and education director, told the village board the recycling program is roughly 1½ years old. She said about half the solid waste agency's members are participating.
Proceeds from the recycling support community and environmental education, outreach and programs. Rampale said a Lake County park district used its share of the cash to offer a college scholarship.
"The program has been going very successfully," she said.
Lake Zurich Trustees Jim Beaudoin and John Shaw stressed the program will need proper promotion in the village. Shaw suggested a presentation at Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich.
Beaudoin said the village's Telser Road building could be a challenge because it is in an industrial park.
"Unfortunately, Telser Road is out of the way for most residents," Beaudoin said.
Rampale said the nicely designed containers can be moved if it's suspected that location is a problem. She said the items are collected from the bins once a week.
An estimated 70 pounds of clothing per person are thrown away annually, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates. The EPA estimates clothing and household textiles make up roughly 5 percent of landfill waste.
Recycled textiles may be shipped to developing countries or turned into wiping cloths used by businesses and industries, according to the Maryland-based trade organization Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles.