Waste Management has provided every single-family home in the Village with a 64-gallon wheeled recycling cart and now offers residents the option of upgrading to a 96-gallon cart at no extra charge! The carts allow residents to place more recycling at the curb for collection. Due to space limitations, those residents living in townhouses will use an 18-gallon yellow recycling bin.

The 64- and 96-gallon carts take up about the same floor space as the yellow bin but hold much more material due to their height. In addition, all recyclable materials can be placed in the container without the hassle of sorting or separating. Waste Management will sort the material at a processing facility after collection. The carts do not have to be put out for collection every week. Only place the cart at the curb when it is full. Placing the container out only when full will help to improve the efficiency of Waste Management's collection services.

General Directions: Place the recycling cart at the curb, with the handles facing the house. Keep the cart approximately three (3) feet away from the garbage cart to allow easy access by the refuse drivers.

The following garbage/recycling rates are effective June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011:

• 96 Gallon Trash Toter with 64 or 96 Gallon Recycling Toter: $16.78
• 64 GallonTrash Toter with 64 or 96 Gallon Recycling Toter: $14.82

The Village's recycling program accepts paper, cardboard, glass, cans, and plastics. Please clean all containers before placing them at the curb, as contaminated materials cannot be recycled.

Participants are provided with a recycling bin or cart by Waste Management. On your regular garbage pick up day, place the bin or cart on the curb or shoulder. Your recyclables are picked up by a separate truck. Please pack items in your recycling bin so they do not blow away in the wind. Place heavier items on top of newspapers and light plastics.

Participation in curbside recycling has been excellent. The recycling program has reduced landfill waste by nearly one-quarter, taking in more than 3,500 tons of materials over the first three years. Approximately 80% of Village residents actively recycle on a regular basis. The average household diverts 63 pounds of recyclable materials from landfills monthly. According to the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, the Village's participation rate is one of the highest in the area.

Paper
In addition to newspaper; magazines, phone books, and junk mail are now accepted for recycling. Paper can be placed loose in the bin or bundled. Magazines, phone books, and junk mail must be bundled or brown bagged. Please do not place junk mail loose in the bin.

Cardboard
Cardboard and chipboard comes many forms: cereal, cookie, and cracker boxes; paper tubes, paper towel and tissue rolls; soda and beer cartons; and frozen food paper packaging. Most boxes are either cardboard or chipboard, both of which are included in the recycling program. Corrugated cardboard, heavy brown paper type comprised of three layers, may be loose or bundled. Cardboard should be broken down into pieces not larger than 2 feet on a side.

Paperboard
Cereal boxes, paper tubes, soda and beer cartons and frozen food packaging. Paperboard containers my be loose or bundled.

Glass
Glass bottles and jars are recyclable; window glass, light bulbs, and ceramics are not. Only glass bottles or jars used for food or beverages are acceptable. Rinse with water and remove lids or caps. No window glass, light bulbs, plates or ceramics are accepted.

Cans
Tin, steel, and aluminum cans used for food beverages. Rinse clean of all food residues. Labels may be left on tin, steel, and aluminum cans. No scrap aluminum or steel is accepted.

Plastics
Part of the Village's recycling program is the curbside pickup of plastics. The program accepts PETE (Type 1) through PP (Type 5) plastics (see below). Symbols identifying plastic types are now found on most containers. Type 1 through 5 plastics include most soft drink bottles; milk containers; laundry detergent containers; cooking oil bottles; grocery, bread, and dry cleaner bags; and yogurt cups.

Plastics make up almost one tenth of garbage weight and nearly one fifth of volume.

Plastic bottles and containers marked (1) PETE through (5) PP can be recycled. Additionally, Styrofoam plastics such as egg cartons and platters can be accepted provided they are completely free of any food materials.

The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County Offers Tips on Recycling and Refuse Preparations

Every so often the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County likes to remind residents of proper recyclable preparation. There is always confusion on preparation guidelines and the system continually changes. Please read the following:

• Recycling bins should be placed at the end of the driveway opposite your refuse container. This is because the swing arm that picks up the garbage container will sometimes dump the recycling container when picking up or setting down the garbage cart. Waste Management asks that recycling bins be at least 3 feet from the refuse container.
  
• Paper products should be placed in a PAPER bag and then placed into the bin. PLASTIC BAGS ARE NOT COLLECTED FOR RECYCLING. This allows the driver to grab the bag and place it in the proper receptacle in the truck. All paper products are commingled (mixed) together. Any paper product that has not contacted food, beverage or bodily functions is acceptable. If the weather is bad (rain or rain impending) hold your paper products till next time. Wet paper is sometimes unmarketable.
  
• Cardboard must be cut down to 2 foot by 2 foot sections and should be bundled with string (if you have a quantity). This is because of space constraints on the collection vehicle (related to the dump hopper space).
  
• Containers should be rinsed and placed loose in the bin. Containers are collected in a commingled fashion (mixed). Rigid Containers accepted include glass bottles and jars, cans, and plastics numbered 1(PETE), 2(HDPE), 3(PVC), 4(LDPE), and 5(PP). Codes are generally found on the bottom of the container. PLASTIC BAGS ARE NOT RECYCLABLE.
  
• Generally, any container that is rigid, and contained a consumer product, is recyclable. Exceptions are: Polystyrene products (Styrofoam packaging, meat trays, cups); plastic bags; containers that held automotive fluids such as motor oil; pesticide/poison or containers containing chemical products such as drain cleaner. These items are not recyclable. Bags will either be number 2(HDPE) or number 4(LDPE), and containers holding poisons or household chemicals may be made of metal, glass or any type of plastic. Please throw these away.
  
• Place Address on your bin. It is a good idea to write your address on your bin. This will improve the odds that your bin will be returned after it blows away on one of our windy days.
  
• Extra bins: There is nothing special about a recycling bin. Any container can be used as long as it is identifiable as a container holding recyclables. Many people will purchase similar containers at Walmart and write the word RECYCLING on the side with indelible marker. Extra bins can also be obtained from Waste Management at 395-2020. There is a charge for additional bins.

Document Destruction

A Mundelein-based paper shredding program will help people protect themselves from identity theft and safeguard businesses from corporate espionage. Records Management, Inc. will accept a variety of papers on the first Saturday of every month from 8:00 AM to Noon. The facility is located at 101 E. Maple Avenue in Mundelein (near the intersection of Route 176 and Highway 45).

This is a free service for businesses and residents. Accepted materials include: office paper, files, computer printouts, mail, and pre-shredded paper. No binders, metals or video media will be accepted. Certificates of destruction will be provided to all participants upon request. In the event that the first Saturday of the month occurs on or near a national holiday, the recycling will be moved to the second Saturday of that month.

For more information, or to ensure of service availability, please contact Records Management, Inc. at (847) 949-8500.

ComEd Refrigerator/Freezer Recycling

Want to get rid of an old fridge or freezer?
If you’ve got an older, working second refrigerator or freezer keeping your soft drinks or ice cream cold – it’s probably costing you more money than you think.  ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators use at least 20 percent less energy than required by current federal standards and 40 percent less energy than the conventional models sold in 2001. So that old fridge could be costing you more than a $150 per year!

With ComEd’s Smart Ideas for Your Home Program you can get a $25 cash incentive to turn in your working second refrigerator of freezer.  ComEd is working with JACO Environmental, to pick up your refrigerator or freezer for free and recycle it in an environmentally responsible way.

You can learn more about turning in your working second refrigerator or freezer by visiting www.comed.com or calling (888) 806-2273. Click here to download the program flyer.