Nature's Edge - Spring Cleaning Tips - March 2005

Spring is in the air and it is time to begin your preparations for the annual SPRING CLEAN UP EVENT - Saturday, April 23rd, 7:00 a.m.! Plan now for the best way to dispose of unwanted items that have piled up in your basement, garage, attic or crawl space. Rather than send them to the curb for the SPRING CLEAN UP - and ultimately the landfill – consider the following options:

Recycle Your Old Electronics Equipment
On Friday, April 22nd, by 7:00 a.m., the Village Public Works department will come by your home and pick up any electronic equipment you wish to discard. Simply place the equipment out at your curb by 7:00 a.m. Items to be collected include:

• Computer Equipment - monitors, keyboards, printers, laptops, main frames, hard drives, disk drives, PDA organizers, video games.
• Home Electronics and Appliances - televisions, VCRs, CD players, blenders, coffee makers, vacuums, mixers, power tools, hair dryers, sewing machines, fans, cameras, camcorders, radios.
• Office Equipment - typewriters, word processors, copy machines, fax machines, adding machines, postage machines, scanners, calculators, paper shredders, telephones, answering machines, cellular phones, pagers, two-way radios.

Items not accepted include fluorescent lamps, electric fixtures, software disks, audio or video tapes, compact disks, humidifiers/dehumidifiers, air conditioners, microwave ovens and large appliances, i.e. stoves, refrigerators, etc.

Household Chemical Waste
There are a number of Household Chemical Waste (HCW) collection events scheduled for Lake County this spring. The first two will be March 26th at the Waukegan Public Works Department, 1700 N. McAree Road and April 23rd at Fox Lake Public Works/Streets Department, 216 Washington Street. Products collected:

• oil based paint (no latex – see below), solvents, old prescriptions, motor oil, household cleaners, household batteries (alkaline and rechargeable)
• old gasoline, fungicides, insecticides, pesticides, metal polishes, paint remover, antifreeze, driveway sealer, garden/lawn chemicals, drain cleaner
• pool chemicals, aerosol products, hobby chemicals, asbestos, mercury (including thermometers and thermostats)

Latex paint is NOT ACCEPTED at the Household Chemical Waste collection events. This material is easy to take care of – pick up a bag of crushed corn cob from the Village Hall, mix the corn cob with the paint. It hardens in just a few minutes. Once it is hardened, it is safe to discard with your regular trash. Crushed corn cob is free!

Appliances and White Goods
Appliances and white goods are not picked up at the annual spring clean up. Residents should call the following companies to pick up discarded white goods. (White goods are large appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, water heaters, etc.) Waste Management will also pick them up for an extra charge. (They tend to be higher than the companies listed below.)

• Environmental Services: 800-480-4337
• Barb's Salvage: 847-973-0105
• Mike's Appliances: 773-276-0599

Metal, Automotive Parts, etc.
Contact Lake County Scrap Metal at 847-634-4747, for a list of materials they will take. This business is conveniently located in Prairie View on Route 22.

Spring Clean Up Event
On April 23rd, beginning at 7:00 a.m., Waste Management will conduct its annual collection for the Village. Residents may put out the following types of items at their curb: furniture, four foot bundles of wood, household items, etc. They will NOT pick up white goods, landscape waste, household chemical waste, concrete, dirt, etc.

Charitable Organizations
There are many charitable organizations located in the area which are most grateful for material donations, i.e. clothing, furniture, household goods, toys, etc. For suggestions, check with local churches or your Yellow Pages under "Social & Human Services Organizations".

Miscellaneous Recycling
For more information on other sources of disposal or recycling, visit the SWALCO website.