The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Green News

Electronics recycling…Oak Park residents are invited to recycle old electronic equipment on the last Saturday of each month through October. Items can be recycled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Acceptable items include computers, peripherals, laptops, monitors, TVs, cell phones, rechargeable batteries, printers, fax machines, MP3 players, portable digital assistants, video game consoles, video cassette recorders, digital video disk players, zip drives, scanners and microwaves. These items are banned by state law from Illinois landfills. Unlike in past years, the Village now incurs costs to sponsor these events, as state collection goals have been met and funding has declined for electronic processors. This means staff will check for identification to ensure residents are served first. For more information call 708.358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us.

Green awards…Nominations are being sought for Green Awards, a program created by the Environment & Energy Commission to recognize specific deeds or actions that embody and advance work toward a sustainable future. A nomination form is posted at www.oak-park.us. The deadline to submit a nomination is Aug. 28. For more information call 708.358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us.

Composting program…Food scrap composting is available throughout the community for $14 per month, which is about the same as recycling one bag of yard waste per week under the current Village program that does not accept food scraps. Participants receive a special 96-gallon mobile cart for organics, an under-sink collection bucket and a box of compostable bags for food scraps. Subscribers who use the organics cart for their yard waste and food scraps will not be required to purchase yard waste stickers for grass clippings placed into the organics cart. Residents who maintain backyard compost piles or who mulch grass clippings are urged to investigate sharing organics carts and costs with neighbors. About 700 households currently participate in the pilot program. Call 708.358.5700 or email compostable@oak-park.us for more information or to sign up.