I’m thankful that I live where recycling is easy to do!
Every gardener I know has expanded the initial love of growing beautiful plants, trees, vines, etc. to caring about the environment and the health of our planet. We grow flowers not just for our enjoyment, but also to support our pollinators. I love to watch butterflies flitting about and am ecstatic every time a hummingbird dines at my honeysuckle.
On garbage day—or, more correctly, residential waste collection day—Groot sends out three trucks to pick up household waste, items that can be recycled and yard waste. If that’s not enough, homeowners order dumpsters and fill them to the brim.
We can do better and here’s how…
Naperville has partnered with RewearAble to collect clothing and textiles for reuse or recycling. Accepted items include clothing, shoes, bedding, towels and other household items (potholders, etc.). Pillows and pet beds are not accepted. A complete list of accepted and unaccepted items can be found by googling “Clothing and Textile Recycling.”
This program may end August 29, so let’s see if we can keep it going. Drop off is at Naperville’s City Environmental Collection Campus, 156 Fort Hill Drive, weekdays from 7AM to 3PM.
ReWearable is a nonprofit clothing recycling program that provides employment for adults with disabilities. Seventeen million pounds of textiles go into our landfills every year and 95% are reusable or recyclable! This is just the place to take your lonely sock pile.
That same location, 156 Fort Hill Drive, also will accept electronics and on Saturday and will accept household hazardous waste from 9AM to 2PM on Sunday.
Kent and I have been cleaning out closets and cabinets (in the basement-yikes!) and making regular runs to the recycling center. Then we stop by Goodwill, also on Fort Hill Drive a little north of Aurora Ave., to drop off lamps, toys, books, purses, vases, etc.
There are many other locations to donate useable items that also support good causes. It’s a good feeling to remove unneeded, unusable items from my home in a responsible and recycling manner.
Let’s all try to keep useable, recyclable things out of our landfills.
