Village Of Deerfield: Program Designed To Complement Regular Recycling Efforts

Press release from the Village of Deerfield:

Program Overview

The Village of Deerfield is partnering with Lakeshore Recycling Systems and Reynolds Consumer Products to bring residents the Hefty ReNew Program, which is designed to complement regular recycling efforts.

Participants fill the bags with accepted hard-to-recycle plastics, tie them when full and place them in their LakeShore Recycling Systems curbside bin. The recycling truck collects the tied bags along with other recyclable items. At the recycling center, these bags are separated from other materials and sent to facilities that either use the hard-to-recycle plastics as an energy source or break them down to create new products.

Stop by the Village of Deerfield for a free starter kit while supplies last! Alternatively, for $8, households can purchase a box of orange bags specifically designed for hard-to-recycle items, which is estimated to last a year. The Hefty ReNew orange bags are available online and in-person at Jewel Osco, Target, Walmart and other retailers after October 1.

Learn More

1. Accepted Items
2. How It Works
3. Life Cycle Assessment

End-of-Life Solutions (EOL)

In 2021, the Hefty ReNew™ team conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of the program. The LCA assessed nine indicators, including air quality, water quality, human health, ecotoxicity and fossil fuel depletion. Five end-of-life (EOL) alternatives to landfilling were explored: converting contents into concrete aggregate, using them as fuel in cement kilns, creating roofing cover boards, producing construction blocks, creating park benches and making drainage material. The findings showed significant environmental benefits, especially in reducing air emissions and energy use. Notably, using materials as drainage material and roofing cover boards reduced global warming by 326% and decreased fossil fuel depletion. Additionally, using materials as cement kiln fuel lowered emissions and diverted waste from landfills.

Questions

Contact Jessica Sciarretta, Management Analyst at 847.719,7407 or jsciarretta@deerfield.il.us

This press release was produced by the Village of Deerfield. The views expressed here are the author’s own.