Downers Grove residents can drop off old electronics, medications, textiles and furniture without leaving their cars when Greener Grove and SCARCE host their second Recycling Extravaganza on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Belmont Train Station lot.
The drive-through event runs 9 a.m. to noon at Commuter Parking Lot H, 5000 Belmont Road. Drivers should enter from Chase Avenue, follow directional signs and stay in their vehicles while volunteers unload items.
The Village of Downers Grove announced the event in its online pressroom. Village contact Jason Michnick can answer questions at 630-434-5523 or [email protected].
Greener Grove, a Downers Grove resident collective focused on ecological initiatives, held its first version of the event in October 2025 at 1125 Franklin St. SCARCE, an Addison-based environmental education nonprofit, partners on recycling programs across DuPage County.
What's accepted
The list is long. Household electronics, cords, cables and chargers are all fair game. So are household textiles in any condition, including blankets, sheets, towels and curtains, though organizers note those items will be shredded, not reused.
The DuPage County events calendar adds furniture to the accepted list: dressers, small tables, chairs, sofas and loveseats (no sleeper sofas). In-season clothing, bicycles and bike parts, books, records, musical instruments, CDs and DVDs in cases, eyeglasses, hearing aids and medical equipment are also welcome.
Medications should be removed from original packaging and combined in a resealable plastic bag. Sharps and syringes must be placed in a hard plastic container. EpiPens and lancets are accepted too.
Documents can be brought for shredding with no paper clips or binder clips attached.
Flat-screen TVs and monitors over 21 inches carry a recycling fee, as do smoke alarms. Both fees must be paid in advance, and participants need to bring their receipt to the event. Contact Michnick for fee payment details.
Food drive for FISH Food Pantry
The event doubles as a food drive. Non-perishable food and household paper goods will be collected for the Downers Grove Area FISH Food Pantry, which distributes groceries to families on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Upcoming community events
- Tuesday, Aug. 25: Family Story Night: Elephants, 6:30 p.m., Downers Grove Public Library
- Friday-Saturday, Sept. 18-19: Downers Grove Oktoberfest, downtown, featuring Candlebox, Local H and Liquid Soul
- Saturday, Sept. 19: Recycling Extravaganza, 9 a.m. to noon, Belmont Train Station Lot H (enter from Chase Ave.)
