Local environmental news and happenings for DuPage County.

December 2023

Happy Holidays!

With the help of all our volunteers and supporters, SCARCE has been working hard all year to make a difference locally, nationally and globally.

We've kept OVER 600 THOUSAND pounds of materials out of the landfill
Saved OVER 2 MILLION gallons of water
Shared OVER 175 THOUSAND books with schools and local non-profits.

Little things can add up to a BIG difference.

Together, we created a great green year!

W is for Wood

ABCs of Smart Recycling

Do you have a little scrap lumber laying around after a project? Maybe you're tackling some remodeling or cleaning out a workbench area?

Remember: clean scrap lumber can go lots of places besides the trash.

Learn where and why in this month's ABC's of Smart Recycling blog post: W is for Wood.

SCARCE Honored

Staff member, Jean Kent, accepted a "Hero Award" from Greater Chicagoland and NW Indiana Girl Scouts for service to local scouts. SCARCE helped scouts gather items for two Packs of Love backpack collections, benefiting children of Ukraine, and presented workshops for Disability Awareness Day, and Girl Scout World Thinking Day.

Collection Wins

2023 SMASHING SUCCESS

The 2023 Pumpkin Smash broke records AGAIN. With only 50% of the 23 sites reported in, so far, over 195 tons of pumpkins were diverted from the landfill to be made into compost.

Did you hear about the SMASH on the news? SCARCE did a press tour that included video interviews with NPR, WGN, The Weather Channel, and CNN, WLS, WBBM, and WXRT-radio. Our local Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune did stories on the SMASH as well--wow!

Pictured: Cub Scouts from Wheaton's Lincoln Elementary School. Nice hats, guys!

Pictured above:

Mayor Frank Saverino, of Carol Stream (2nd from left,) has volunteered at every Pumpkin Smash since it began!

Also pictured, County Board Member Greg Schwarze and Julie Schwarze, Village Clerk, who have supported SCARCE through the years.

We couldn't do it without you!

Thanksgiving Cooking Oil Collection

The annual Saturday after Thanksgiving cooking oil collection pulled in over three hundred of gallons of oil (with only 6 sites reporting). That's over a ton of waste that won't be contaminating our water or filling up landfill. Instead--it's creating cleaner fuel to drive cars and fly planes.

(Did you hear that Virgin Atlantic just flew from New York to London using the kind of fuel created by cooking oil? Read more about it here.)

If you have cooking oil to recycle, there are 13 permanent collection locations in our area. Cooking Oil Collection Locations

SCARCE Staff Rachel & Marina and Donovan, from Green Grease work on loading oil.

Capture The Flag!

Epiphany Lutheran Church of Elmhurst

completed all the work to earn their Earth Flag. Congratulations! SCARCE Staff are pictured with Ingrid Durham, President of Congregation Council; Shelia Rutledge, Chairman of the DuPage County Environmental Committee; DuPage County Board member, Yeena Yoo; Elmhurst County Board Member; Paula Deacon Garcia, Vice-Chair of the DuPage Environmental Committee. photographer: Betsy Markwald

Village of Wood Dale earned the DuPage County Stormwater & SCARCE, Water Quality Flag by attending education workshops and improving their community with project that included a rain barrel program and native plant installations. They also collaborated with SCARCE on cooking oil collections and the Pumpkin Smash. County Board member, Michael Childress helped Kay present the flag to Mayor Pulice. Well done!

Keep Your Holidays Green

Don't trash your broken holiday lights--bring them to SCARCE or check our website after Christmas for other locations.

Need an extra place setting or ten? Don't buy disposable, borrow dishes & flatware from a friend or from your friends at SCARCE. Visit our Green Your Gig page for details.

Done with your real tree? Make sure it's ready to compost by removing all lights and decorations. Turn that tree into mulch, instead of landfill! Follow us on Facebook for details on drop-off locations, or check our website.

Helping Santa? Rent a Sleigh!

Did you know SCARCE has a sleigh to rent?

If you have a party, event, or collection this month that could use a fun prop, email us details and learn how to snag a sleigh-for-a-day (or longer!)

SCARCE email: info@scarce.org

Recycling Events

Dec 9

Wheaton Monthly Recycling Event 9am - 12pm

Dec 16

Village of Lisle Quarterly Electronics & Cloth Recycling Event 8am-12pm

View full list of recycling events

Sustainable Design Challenge is Coming!

Save the Date: April 2024

The Sustainable Design Challenge creates a hands-on learning experience for high school students with subject matter that matters to our whole community!

Find out how you, your business, or your student can get involved.

Visit our website for more information.

Environmental Events - Mark Your Calendar!

JAN 18

DuPage Environmental Summit (Virtual) 8:30am-12:00pm; Free

Topic: "Agroecology & Community Centered Agriculture"

Regular Hours

Reuse Center and SCARCE-LY USED Books & Records

Monday-Friday 9am-4:30pm

Saturdays 9am-12pm

Closed for Holidays

Saturday, December 23 - Tuesday, December 26

Saturday, December 30 - Monday, January 1, 2024

Donation Hours

Tuesday-Friday 9am-2pm

*For 5 or more boxes, call to make an appointment

Thank You to Businesses

A special thank you to businesses who donated supplies and/or services this month!

Topco, Elk Grove
Citi, Elk Grove
Whole Foods, Wheaton
Westmont Library, Westmont
Westin, Lombard
Ryan Shreve, Revo Wired Webservices

A Special Thanks to Our Volunteers

Local organizations often contact SCARCE during the holidays to request books and other supplies for the children and families they serve, making this an especially busy time for Santa's elves at SCARCE.

We want to offer a special holiday thank you to all our SCARCE volunteers who give their time to brighten the lives of so many in our community!

Want to help? Click the Register to Volunteer button and join our crew.