It's the second Saturday of the month, a day the Environmental Defenders offer their monthly recycling service. This month it is location in McHenry at the Metra station parking lot 4005 Main Street in downtown McHenry.
The Defenders’ Recycling Drive accepts fluorescent tubes, which contain a small amount of mercury and need to be properly recycled to avoid any contamination in the landfill or leaching into the groundwater. Also accepted are car batteries, packing peanuts and re-usable, un-popped bubble wrap.
A recent addition is the collection of clean, white, block Styrofoam™, which is used for packaging electronics, cookware, and other large boxed items. In recent months, the Defenders have partnered with Ken Santowski of Chicago Logistic Systems, an Elgin-based business which provides its own truck to transport this bulky material for recycling.
The collection drive also accepts household batteries, which should be recycled rather than thrown in the trash. Widely used in small electronics, household appliances, toys, and other devices, these small batteries contain heavy metals that can cause severe ailments if left to decompose in landfills or by careless disposal. These contaminants can enter the soil or water and eventually be consumed by humans, resulting in dermatitis and skin discoloration, intestinal and nervous disorders, kidney damage, brain and immune system damage, prostate cancer, or liver and lung disease.
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