There have been some temporary changes to trash collection due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Bulk and electronic waste pick up have been temporarily suspended, and the City’s recycle center has been temporarily closed. Spring clean up has been cancelled. It may be rescheduled at a later date. Regular trash and recycling pickup will continue. Please hold on to electronic waste, styrofoam, paired shoes, textiles and bulk items until these services resume. Thanks for your help in keeping City staff and trash haulers safe. When these services resume, information will be posted here.
Month: March 2020
Wipes are NOT flushable
Do not believe what the package says. Wipes clog our sewers and the treatment plant machinery. Please put wipes in the garbage. Do NOT put them in the toilet. More information from the City is here.
Spring Clean Up Cancelled
Due to the pandemic, the spring clean up days originally scheduled in April and May of 2020 have been cancelled. Here are some ways to get rid of unwanted items in the meantime.
Arts and Crafts supplies: donate them to the Brushwood Art Supply Exchange.
Bicycles: Donate to Working Bikes.
Household Chemical Waste: The SWALCO website has a schedule of Household Chemical Waste drop off events.
Medication: Drop them off anytime in the disposal box at the HP Police Station, 1677 Old Deerfield Road. Details are here.
Recyclables: Put these out on your regular trash day.
Textiles: Place in a sealed plastic bag and drop off anytime in one of the collection boxes located at the City’s Recycling Center or the Highland Park Metra Station (east of tracks and south of station).
Usable items: Donate to charity or use the Highland Park-Highwood Freebox page on Facebook to get unwanted but usable items to others in the community.
Learn more about how to recycle or dispose of unusual items here and here. Here are some creative repurposing ideas for spring.
Coronavirus Information
Covid 19 is a contagious virus that has been spreading rapidly around the world. There is no need to panic, but you should take precautions to avoid getting sick.
The City of Highland Park has an emergency operations plan in place and is prepared in the event our area is impacted by the coronavirus disease or other emergency matters. The City Manager’s Office, Police, and Fire Departments are in communication with Highland Park Hospital, Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center, and Illinois Department of Public Health in addition to area partner agencies, and all are taking steps to prepare, prevent and aid in recovery should our area be impacted. There is additional information on the City website, including links to the websites of the Lake County and Illinois Departments of Health and Centers for Disease Control.
Information on basic protective measures from the World Health Organization is available here. Some of the recommendations are:
1. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
2. Disinfect frequently touched objects (phones, doorknobs, etc.).
3. Avoid touching your face – that’s a good way to spread germs.
4. Avoid contact with people who are sick.
5. Please stay home if you are sick. This will help stop the virus from spreading to others.
If you have travel plans, the Centers for Disease Control is recommending that people avoid non essential travel to South Korea, Italy, Iran and China as of this writing. Up to date travel advisories are here.