Highland Park’s spring trash collection days have been scheduled for April and May. As in the past, the collection date for your neighborhood is determined by your trash pick up date. There’s no need to wait until Spring Clean Up. If you have a bulky item under 50 pounds, you can place it next to your trash cart for pick up on your regular trash collection day. Everything left out at the curb during spring clean up will go to the landfill, so please plan ahead to get usable or recyclable items to the right places. Lakeshore will not pick up electronics, appliances, yard waste, or more than 1 cubic yard of construction material during spring trash collection. Here are some options for these and other items:

Appliances: Call Lakeshore Recycling Systems at 773.685.8811 or email them to schedule pick up. There is a charge for this pick up.
Arts and Crafts supplies: donate them to the Brushwood Art Supply Exchange or the Wasteshed.
Bicycles: Donate to Working Bikes.
Electronics: Leave one large, or three small electronics at the curb on your first trash pick up day of the month or drop off at the City’s Recycling Center (see Styrofoam for hours).
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. Do not flush medications down the toilet or put them down the drain, as they will get into our water supply.
Recyclables: Put these out on your regular trash day.
Shoes: Paired shoes (tie or rubber band together) can be dropped off at the City’s Recycling Center. 1180 Half Day Road, from 7 am – 1 pm any Tuesday or the first Saturday of the month. Details are here.
Styrofoam: Drop off at the City’s Recycling Center. 1180 Half Day Road, from 7 am – 1 pm any Tuesday or the first Saturday of the month. Details are here.
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.  There are some creative repurposing ideas here and here for a wide range of items.