Trash Bash And Shred Event Set For Saturday At Dan Ryan Woods-Central

CHICAGO—One of the most often asked questions on neighborhood social media is where people can bring old electronics or get their documents shredded. The Forest Preserves of Cook County will host Trash Bash, Saturday, April 25.

The Earth Month event will run from 9 a.m. to noon at Dan Ryan Woods-Central, South Western Avenue, south of West 83rd Street.

Trash Bash event partners will be collecting electronics, prescription drugs, household recyclables, bikes, clothing, plastic bags and much more. The Forest Preserves will also be collecting books in good, clean condition. The first 25 donors will receive a free “Don’t be Trashy” T-shirt, Grove 1.

“In the United States, the average person contributes almost five pounds to the waste stream every single day,” forest preserves volunteer coordinator Joanna Huyck said in a news release. “We want to help Cook County residents make more environmentally sound decisions when it comes to getting rid of items around the home and maybe even give renewed life to items that can be reused and repurposed.”

Event partners include:

• CHaRM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials)
• Helping Hands
• Chicago Creative Reuse Exchange
• Cook County Sheriff
• Cook County Department of Environment & Sustainability
• Habitat for Humanity
• Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA)
• Metropolitan Mayors Caucus / Feed the Loop
• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD)
• Midway Movers
• TerraCycle
• The Struggling Black Girl Magic Club
• Working Bikes

People can drop off clothing, fabric, towels, toys (plastic, plush and stuffed), leftover fabric, arts and crafts supplies, adult and children’s bikes in good condition, tools and artwork, skateboards, protective gear and more, to be repurposed and recycled. Visit Trash Bash for the complete list of items being collected by the various partners.

Not accepted are mattresses (nothing wet or moldy), hazardous materials and housepaint.

For more information, email joanna.huyck@cookcountyil.gov or call 773-631-1790.