Recycling/Waste Reduction

Action Item: Increase recycling rates in city operations and in the community.

Goals

• Identify opportunities to increase recycling rates at municipal facilities.
• Create partnerships with outside agencies to provide residents an opportunity to recycle unconventional materials.
• Evaluate the village code for changes that would improve recycling rates in the community and specifically at construction sites.

Recycling at Municipal Facilities

Daily drop off has been made available for CFL bulbs, cell phones, and household batteries at Village Hall, Engineering and Public Works, and the Prairie Center for the Arts.

In 2009, Schaumburg partnered with the DuPage County Health Department to sponsor an RxBox outside the police department as a solution to disposing medications that would pollute the environment if disposed of in the trash or in waterways. Over 4,000 pounds of unused medications have been collected and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.

Recycling Event

The Village of Schaumburg Environmental Committee hosts an annual recycling event to celebrate Earth Day. The Environmental Committee partners with School District 54 and Schaumburg Township District Library to host this successful event. Many volunteers from across the community work to make this event successful. Over the past 7 years, significant increases in the amount and types of materials collected. In fact, over 152 tons of electronics have been collected.

Recycling Construction Debris

In 2009, the Village Board approved an amendment to the building code that requires recycling of construction and demolition debris. The amendment sets standards for demolition of existing buildings, and construction of new buildings.