Naperville North Goes Green with Recycling Event

Time to clean out those closets, drawers and basements.

While it is easy to donate old clothing and household items, electronics can be more difficult to unload, especially if cell phones and computers no longer work. And, the landfill is no place for electronics.

Students from will be providing a much-needed public service tomorrow when they host an electronic recycling event. The program is part of the “Blue Pride – North Goes Green” initiative that began last year.

In October, employees from Supply Chain Services in Lombard were invited to meet with the school’s Environmental Club to tell students about the company and its services, which include electronics recycling and asset recovery, said Brenna Verdier, the club’s sponsor and a French teacher at the high school.

The students chose to partner with the company and environmental club members began planning the event, putting together publicity materials to help promote it. They also spent time visiting Naperville businesses to make them aware of the recycling event, Verdier said. Environmental Club members will also be volunteering at the event to help haul away any unwanted items.

Environmental Club members were excited to take on the project and saw it as a great way to branch out and involve the community in the school's activities, said Jenny Ernst, Environmental Club president.

Ernst said that club members hope residents stop by because it is an easy and free way to get rid of any old electronics that have been sitting around the house.

"They don't even have to get out of their car! Plus, they can be sure that their electronics are dealt with in an environmentally responsible way," Ernst said.

Along with Environmental Club students, Naperville North's Green Team—Blue Pride committee, which is made up of teachers and students, also helped with planning the event, Verdier said.

On Saturday items will be collected at the high school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the east bus lot off of Mill Street. Signs will be posted on Ogden Avenue directing recyclers to the location.

“Just as technology is quickly evolving, the recycling and disposal of used electronics is quickly changing across the state of Illinois,” Jade Lee, president of SSI said in a news release from District 203. “We are proud to have been selected by Naperville North to help reduce their environmental footprint in the Chicago area and recycle materials and components from old electronics that can be remanufactured into new products.”

Since 2008, Verdier has been the Environmental Club’s sponsor, she said. Last year the school initiated it’s Green Team-Blue Pride program, which Jerry Kedziora, a chemistry and biology teacher, chairs. The school is making a concerted effort to be green year-round and also has started clothing recycling, with collection boxes located at the school, along with instituting a “Lights Out Late Arrival” program, where the school and its students attempt to use as little electricity as possible.

The recycling event helps illustrate how important it is to be 'green' in the city of Naperville, Ernst said. It also shows that the little things people do can add up to make a big difference.

An event like this allows the students to get experience planning, but has larger ramifications, Verdier said.

“Students learn about responsible recycling, and with its success, they can see how big an impact they make on the community,” Verdier said. “SSI, Inc. will calculate for us how much has been recycled, in pounds and in carbon footprint. The students will have a tangible way of knowing how much they have helped the earth with this event. They are also providing a good service to those who just want to clean out their basements!”

Planning the event and then watching the recycled items get dropped off will be rewarding for Ernst.

"I feel like we're making a difference by doing events like this," she said. "It reinforces what we try to do in our club and it's exciting to see an idea become a reality."

Items that will be accepted include:

• Cell phones
• Computer cables
• Computers (desktop, laptop)
• DVD players
• Fax machines
• Keyboards/mice
• Monitors
• MP3 players/PDA’s
• Printers
• Scanners
• TVs
• VCRs
• Video game consoles
• Zip drives

The electronic recycling event will take place at Naperville North High School from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 19. Enter off Mill Street, on the east side of the building. Items from the above list will only be collected.