Village to offer clothing recycling program

The Lake Bluff Village Board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing an intergovernmental agreement between the Village and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County at its Monday, Feb. 23 meeting.

SWALCO and the Village will partner to offer a new community-wide program in which clothing and textiles can be collected for recycling. The program will accept new, used or unwanted, women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and textiles. All fabrics will be accepted — even clothes or textiles with stains or holes — and almost 95 percent of the materials that are collected will be repurposed or recycled, according to a memo by the Village.

“According to SWALCO, it is estimated that nearly 85 percent of all clothing and textiles end up in landfills in the U.S. today,” the memo states. “The EPA estimates that the average person throws away 70 pounds of clothing each year. Textile and clothing waste is a significant problem in our country. These items are often very dense and consume significant landfill space.”

Staff will place a textile recycling receptacle at the Lake Bluff Public Works Facility and Recycling Center at 640 Rockland Road at a later date. SWALCO will work with Chicago Textile Recycling to recycle the items collected at the Lake Bluff recycling center.

In an interview with The Leader after the Village Board meeting, Village Administrator Drew Irvin said that the new textile recycling program aligns with the Village’s strategic plan to enhance recycling in Lake Bluff.

“The Village’s strategic plan goal was to increase our efforts in recycling, and [this] appeared to be a good partnership for the village,” Irvin said. “The Village Board believed it was and approved it.”

Irvin said that the recycling program is a win-win for the Village, residents and SWALCO.

“Residents can take advantage of [the program] and drop off items. It doesn’t cost any more resources than we’re already using, and we have an opportunity to get revenue out of it,” Irvin said. “It’s not large — it’s not going to be a ‘cash cow,’ but it’s an asset in many [ways] and not a liability.”

Proceeds from the program will support community and environmental education, outreach and programs. There will be opportunities for community and corporate groups and organizations, as well as schools, to work with SWALCO on special collection drives and events, the Village memo states.

The next meeting of the Lake Bluff Village Board will be held Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in the Village Hall Board Room, 40 E. Center Ave.

Round It Up

A brief recap of Village Board action Feb. 23:

• The board unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Northwest Municipal Conference 2015 Legislative Program

• The board unanimously approved a resolution reallocating the 2014 Village of Lake Bluff volume cap to the Village of Buffalo Grove

• The board unanimously approved a resolution establishing the regular meeting dates and committee of the whole meeting dates for the board of trustees for fiscal year 2015-2016.

• The board unanimously approved a resolution approving and authorizing the execution of a temporary easement agreement with the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency