Holiday light recycling available

The Chicago Tribune website has this AP story today about holiday light recycling. The City of Wheaton and several Cook County municipalities will be collecting old holiday lights at various times between now and the end of the January.

Here is information about where and when you can dispose of used Christmas string lighting and extension cords from the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County website:

Village of Arlington Heights Public Works
222 N. Ridge Avenue
Monday - Friday: 8:00 am to 3:30 pm
December 28, 2009 - January 15, 2010
(847) 368-5800

Village of Elk Grove Village - Health and Community Services
901 Wellington Avenue
Monday - Friday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
December 1, 2009 - January 31, 2010
(847) 439-3900

City of Evanston - Ecology Center
2024 McCormick Boulevard
Monday - Friday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
From December 1, 2009 - January 31, 2010
(847) 448-8256

City of Evanston - Library
1703 Orrington Avenue
Monday - Thursday: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm
Friday - Saturday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday: 12:00 to 6:00 pm
December 1, 2009 - January 31, 2010
(847) 448-8600

Village of Glenview Public Works
1333 Shermer Road
24-hour outside drop-off at Public Works
December 1, 2009 - January 31, 2010
(847) 657-3030

Village of Hoffman Estates in Village Hall Lobby
1990 Hassell Road
Monday - Friday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
December 7, 2009 - January 15, 2010
(847) 882-9100

Village of Lincolnwood Publics Works
7001 N. Lawndale Avenue
Monday - Friday: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
December 1, 2009 - January 31, 2010
(847) 675-0888

City of Park Ridge
400 Busse Highway
Monday - Friday: 7:00 am to 4:00 pm
December 1, 2009 - January 15, 2010
(847) 318-5200

City of Rolling Meadows
3600 Kirchoff Road
24-hour outside drop-off at City Hall entrance
November 25, 2009 - January 22, 2010
(847) 394-8500

Village of Wilmette Public Works
711 Laramie Avenue
24-hour outside drop-off at front parking lot
December 21, 2009 - January 22, 2010
(847) 853-7500

Village of Winnetka Public Works
1390 Willow Road
Monday - Friday: 7:00 am to 5:00 pm
November 1, 2009 - February 5, 2010
(847) 716-3568


Garland, live greens, wreaths or other non-recyclables are not accepted in this program.

Hopefully these collection sites will be in better shape than the City of Chicago facility I visited this evening. I had some cardboard and plastic to drop off at the recycling bins in the Caldwell Woods Forest Preserve, 6358 W. Devon. But when I got there, not only were the blue dumpsters full to overflowing, a volume of recyclables as large as the dumpsters themselves was piled up against them.

It's my understanding that the City gets cash for this green trash. (They'd better; everyone else gets money for their recycling.) Considering the sorry state of the City budget, one might think that a revenue opportunity like this would not be so neglected.

I've been to this collection facility before and I've never seen it in such bad shape. Readers: Are you having similar experiences... or was this just a one-time unhappy event?