Shred & Drug Take-Back Event 2023

Recycle sensitive documents and dispose of prescription drugs safely! The Village of Park Forest is hosting their annual free Shred and Drug Take-Back Event on Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to noon. Residency is not required.

Limit two copy paper-size boxes of paper for shredding per vehicle. Please label your boxes! Do not bring three-ring binders, plastic sleeves, sharps or liquids.

Bring your paper and prescription drugs to the Village Hall parking lot, 350 Victory Drive, Park Forest, IL 60466. Enter at Main Street off Orchard Drive. Pull up in your vehicle, and the village will retrieve the boxes from your trunk!

Park Forest Garden Club will hand out tree seedlings for Arbor Day while supplies last. 

For more information about this event, please visit villageofparkforest.com/sustainability or call 708-503-9372.

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Second Annual Southland Local Food Systems Expo

Let’s lay the foundation for a sovereign local food system here in the southland! The Park Forest Event Commission presents the Second Annual Southland Local Food Systems Expo on Saturday, April 22 from 1-4 p.m. at Dining on the Green, 349 Main St., Park Forest, IL 60466. Learn how communities can come together to create positive change, lessening burdens on the environment and our health.

Meet and connect with local farmers! The expo features an extensive line up: Tulip Tree Gardens, Happy Life Ranch, Fox at the Fork Farm, Janie’s Mill, Ditto Foods, LLC., Multiple Harvest, Soileviah, Patrick the Mushroom Man of Peotone, Belluso’s 1871 Farm, Sonas Farms, Good Vibes, Wrought Iron Farm, Urban Canopy, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and representatives from Park Forest’s own Farmer’s Market, Sustainability Office, and Community Gardeners.

Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are free but limited quantity. While walk-ins are welcome, priority will be given to ticket holders. Reserve your ticket here.

Parking is free. Light food and beverages will be available. This is a family friendly and handicap accessible event, but there will not be entertainment for children.

There will be a cash raffle to benefit the free seed library at the Park Forest Library.

Earth Month Events in Park Forest

The Village of Park Forest is spreading the word about sustainability by hosting a variety of events in honor of Earth Month during April. Upcoming events include:

April 15: “How to Make Your Home Sustainable” Talk from 10 a.m.-noon in the Village Hall Board Room, 350 Victory Drive

Environment Commissioner Jim Saxton will present steps you can take to make your home more sustainable.

April 22: Southland Local Food Systems Expo from 1-4 p.m. at Dining on the Green, 349 Main Street

An afternoon of food, fun and tons of information! Learn how communities can come together to create positive change, lessening burdens on the environment and our health. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are free but in limited quality. While walk-ins are welcome, priority will be given to ticket holders.

April 23: Sustainability Bus Tour from 1-2 p.m.

Tour the ground solar array at the Water Treatment Plant, visit the Central Park Wetlands and stop by a community garden. Space is limited, and registration is required.

April 29: Annual Free Shredding & Drug Take Back Event from 10 a.m.-noon in the Village Hall Parking Lot, 350 Victory Drive

Recycle sensitive documents and dispose of prescription drugs safely! Residency not required. Limit 2 copy paper-sized boxes of paper per vehicle. No three-ring binders, plastic sleeves, liquids or sharps. Pull up in your vehicle and the boxes will be retrieved from your trunk.

The Village of Park Forest is offers more than just the events listed above and in the handy graphic below. For a complete list of Earth Month events, please visit vopf.com/890/Earth-Month-2023 or go to villageofparkforest.com/sustainability for details and registration.

Pumpkin Smash 2022 Results

Here are the results from our smashing good day:

• 26 volunteers (20 of them were Parker Junior High School NJHS students)
• 96 attendees
• 1,000 lbs of pumpkins

The pumpkins are being composted at Possibility Place Nursery in Monee, Illinois. This was also our second year collecting Halloween candy wrappers for recycling by partnering with The Center for Dental Excellence in Flossmoor and Rubicon’s Trick or Trash recycling program.

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers and everyone who participated in Pumpkin Smash. A huge thank you to Homewood Disposal for sponsoring the dumpster and Coyote Run for hosting this event for the seventh year in a row!

Hazardous Materials Recycling

The Sauk Trail Baptist Temple will collect hazardous materials on November 12 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for recycling. Outdated prescription pills, electronics, books, CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes will also be accepted.

Accepted hazardous materials and limits:

• 1 TV
• 4 tires
• 4 boxes of shredding
• 4 cans of paint
• 4 cans/jars/ bottles of chemicals
• No limit on batteries
• All steel and aluminum accepted

This event is sponsored by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s Recycling Program, Village of Richton Park and Southland Voice.

H-F Holiday Recycling

Looking for light and tree recycling options for the 2022-2023 winter season? Holiday light recycling containers are located at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club, Irwin Community Center, outside the Goldberg Center and Irons Oaks from November 21 to January 18.

Live Tree Recycling runs December 26 through January 18. Bring your undecorated and unwrapped holiday trees to Irons Oaks’ Vollmer Road lot. Trees should be stacked neatly with the trunks pointed towards the parking lot. Yard waste will not be accepted.

Park Forest Holiday Recycling

Drop off your holiday lights November 22 to January 18 at Park Forest Village Hall to be recycled. Live Christmas trees will be accepted December 26 to January 18 at the Aqua Center parking lot.

Park Forest Holiday Lights Recycling is sponsored by Gaby Iron and Metal.

Pumpkin Smash 2022

Pumpkin Smash 2022 is scheduled for November 5, the first Saturday following Halloween. The event will take place between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Coyote Run Golf Course, 800 Kedzie Avenue, Flossmoor, Illinois. Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort, organized by the Chicago Southland Green Committee, to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing a location for residents to drop off jack-o-lanterns to be composted.

The Center for Dental Excellence in Flossmoor will be collecting Halloween candy wrappers for recycling at this event, as part of the Trick or Trash recycling program. Community members are encouraged to bring their candy wrappers to be recycled. Paper, food, and aluminum can not be recycled in the Trick or Trash receptacle. More information about Trick or Trash is available at rubicon.com/trick-or-trash.

Thanks to Homewood Disposal for donating a dumpster and delivering the event’s compost to Possibility Place.

Pumpkin Smash is sponsored by the Chicago Southland Green Committee, Homewood Disposal, and the Homewood Science Center. For more information about Pumpkin Smash, visit scarce.org/pumpkins.

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Vote Yes for Forest Preserves

On election day, November 8th, Cook County Voters will have the opportunity to vote yes to protect clean water sources, air quality, and wildlife for our residents to enjoy for generations to come.  The Cook County Forest Preserve Referendum is on the ballot. A property tax increase of 0.024% (less than $1.66/month for the majority of homeowners) will protect, restore, and expand the Cook County Forest Preserves. 

Below is some information for you to share with friends and neighbors so they can vote yes to this very important referendum. You can get more information here.

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Recyclepalooza 2022

Get Ready To Recycle!

Have theses things around your house? Here’s your chance to Recyclepalooza! Collect your recyclables and stop by Parker Junior High School on Saturday, October 8, between 9 a.m. and Noon to drop them off. Stay in your vehicle, sort items by category and clearly marked, then place them in your truck to be unloaded by volunteers contact free!

Accepted Items:

•    Electronics

•    Metals

•    Ink/Laser jet printers

•    Bicycles

•    Pop can tabs

•    Used razors

•    Eyeglasses

•    Gently used clothes

•    Sporting goods

•    American Flags

•    Pastic gift cards

•    LEGOs

•    Trophies

•    New travel size toiletries

•    Small household items

•    Gently used towels and blankets

•    Used mascara wands

•    Plastic bread tags

•    Clean & dry Styrofoam (no packing peanuts)

•    Used oral care products & packaging

•    TVs ($20 per set)

Recyclepalooza is sponsored by the Village of Flossmoor Green Commission, Chicago Southland Green Committee, Flossmoor School District 161 and Homewood Disposal.