Dumpster Rental in Glendale Heights, IL

Glendale Height’s Rural Roots, Environment and Recycling Involvement

Glendale Heights has a rural history that lasted until 1958 and had a population of about one hundred people through the first half of the Twentieth Century. When the population reached over one hundred, it incorporated and held elections in 1959. Today, the population of Glendale Heights has over thirty-four thousand people and has become an active community as evidenced by its business parks, an impressive hospital, and even a golf club that is managed by the Village.

Environmental Programs in Glendale Heights

As can be imagined, growing from a rural community of just one hundred people to a city that is quickly approaching thirty-five thousand residents, it is important to remember to protect the land and the environment that was loved by its founders and has nourished its roots. It is this environmental focus that the Village refers to as “stewardship” and initiative. On the side of environmental stewardship, the Village has numerous practices to reduce the environmental footprint of the community:

• One program is the installation of lighting systems that are better for the environment.
• The City has also installed water systems in its parks and government buildings that use less water.
• New Village policies have done away with practices of allowing municipal vehicles (that are not being used for emergencies) to sit and idle in a way that waste gas and unnecessarily pollutes the air.
• Finally, the Village is working to recycle all of its old electronic equipment and divert these items from landfills.

As noted above, the Village also has a number of proactive initiatives that go beyond its stewardship. Some of these include:

Recycling cell phones: Cell phones are becoming a challenge for environmental solid waste management. Part of the problem is that we upgrade so often with quickly advancing technologies. The Cell Phone Recycling Program receives old cell phones to ensure their safe disposal. Collection programs are handled by the Glendale Heights Police Department and include will receive cell phones, phone chargers, and phone batteries. It’s easy: just drop off used equipment at the Center for Senior Citizens at 260 Civic Center Plaza in Glendale.

Recycling batteries: What do you do when you take out old batteries? Do they go in the garbage or go in the recycling or should they be processed as special waste? The answer is that they should be specially processed. The Battery Recycling Program in Glendale Heights makes this easy by receiving batteries (AA, D, and 9-volt) at the Village buildings when open.

Recycling holiday lights: The Holiday Lights Recycling Program is designed to take care of old Christmas lights. This can be a difficulty because many of us are unsure what to do when our Christmas light die because they are not a common item like tin cans. The Village accepts these old lights for six seasonal months, from November to April, and will accept: a) all color and min-lights (sometimes referred to as Italian lights; b) C7 and C9 lights; c) rope lights; d) LED lights; and e) extension cords. Residents can bring their old lights to the Public Works Garage, 1635 Glen Ellyn Road, Glendale Heights.

Recycling medical equipment: If you have old medical equipment that you no longer use, including old wheelchairs, walkers, canes and quad canes, commodes, crutches, and many types of medical equipment used in the bathroom, The Used Medical Equipment Recycling Program can receive these items. It is best to pre-schedule an appointment to dispose of used medical equipment with the Center for Senior Citizens at (630) 260-6050.

Disposing of pharmaceuticals: Some people wrongly throw used medications into the toilet or in the trash. But these chemicals can be hazardous to the environment and should be disposed of in a proper manner through the Pharmaceutical Disposal Program. The Village also offers its Sharps Disposal Program to help with proper disposal of needles.

Disposing of flags: The U.S. Flag Disposal Program helps us to dispose of our flags when they have worn out. The Flag Depository is located in the Civic Center Plaza parking lot and will see to it that old flags receive proper military disposals.