Lisle hosting area-wide recycling event

Village of Lisle employee Eric Ertmoed has been getting several calls a day recently from all over DuPage County.

No, it's not motorists commenting about the ongoing road construction work at the Reagan Memorial Tollway and Route 53 or folks recommending who Lisle residents should elect to lead them for the next four years.

Rather, they're people wanting to know more about the "Sustainable Saturday in Lisle" event the village is hosting on March 28 where electronic equipment and a host of other items will be collected for recycling.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot adjacent to the Dan and Ada Rice Center on the campus of Benedictine University, 5700 College Road, Lisle.

Ertmoed said he's not aware of Lisle holding such an event before but he does get a lot of calls from residents inquiring about where to take electronic equipment such as soon-to-be obsolete analog TVs.

"There is a lot of interest on the part of Lisle residents," he said.

Open to all who come, the event is a cooperative effort of the village, the university, DuPage County and Sims Recycling Solutions of West Chicago.

Sims will be taking old electronic equipment such as computers, televisions, monitors, telephones, VCRs, video games, stereo, fax machines, copy machines and printers.

Other items that will be accepted include sealed lead acid batteries for cars, motorcycles, boats, lawn mowers, sump pumps and sports vehicles.

Area residents also may bring ink jet cartridges, dented pots and pans, washers, dryers, metal hangers, metal lawn furniture, rusty swing sets and tomato cages. But no car motors, lawn motors, refrigerators and air conditioners can be taken.

Bicycles (not Big Wheels or toddler bikes) will be donated to an organization that refurbishes them for residents in developing countries. The Lions are collecting old eye glasses and hearing aids. Worn American flags will be accepted for proper disposal.

Area residents also may bring up to three grocery bags or three small boxes of documents that will be shredded on site by DuPage County, Ertmoed said.

Residents should just pack the recyclable items in their trunk, and workers and volunteers on hand will do the rest, he said.

"When they drive up, they'll have their items from the trunk removed so they don't have to get out of the car," he said.

John Mickus, professor in the biology department at Benedictine, said the recycling event is part of a three-year initiative at the Catholic university to put more emphasis on caring for the environment. Benedictine faculty, staff and students will be among the volunteers manning the event.

"We're doing a lot of things, I think speaks of the Benedictine heritage," Mickus said.