Politics & Government

Area Businesses, Organizations Receive Green Awards

The McHenry County Board recently recognized a handful of area business, schools and institutions for their efforts to increase solid waste reduction and recycling.

A handful of area businesses, organizations, institution and schools received a McHenry County Green Award from the McHenry County Board in recent weeks, according to a McHenry County Department of Health press release. 

The Green Awards are meant to recognize exemplary efforts and activities by residents, businesses, institutions and organizations to increase solid waste reduction and recycling in McHenry County. Recipients were chosen based upon creative programming or through filling a niche in solid waste recycling that wouldn’t otherwise be available. 

Here is a look at the winners of a Green Awards in McHenry County: 

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The village of Huntley: was recognized for providing additional recycling opportunities for its residents by partnering with an organization that recycles and refurbishes electronics. The village collected about 35,000 pounds of electronics through the program. 

Berry Plastics in Woodstock: for implementing a recycling program in its manufacturing processes – plastic runners are removed/re-ground to make new products at their facility or sold as material to similar plastic injection molding facilities; vendors return usable cardboard shipping boxes which are recycled through a cardboard compactor; metals are recycled at a local metal salvaging operation; energy-efficient hand dryers were installed to create less paper towel waste; and an annual Earth Day tour of the facility is offered to Dean Street School students. Berry Plastics’ development teams and operations work closely together on waste reduction, reuse and recycling options for solid waste decisions. 

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Blessing Barn in Crystal Lake: for its innovative partnership efforts with several community organizations to assist with the acceptance and storage capacity for donations of clothing, basic life need items and household goods.  Through these partnerships, Blessing Barn distributes hundreds of items monthly, assisting over 60 families per month and providing a unique reuse opportunity for McHenry County residents in need.  Blessing Barn will be expanding its outreach to residents under its “Tubs on the Road” program with the addition of its new mobile trailer.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of McHenry County in Woodstock: for its continued recycling initiatives integrated into employee practices which help to support many charitable organizations. These include aluminum can tabs, plastic bottle caps and “box tops” school program in addition to recycling several recyclable materials (paper, cardboard, aluminum cans and plastic bottles).

Fox River Grove Middle School: for promoting and implementing waste reduction, beneficial reuse and recycling awareness by students and staff  through their waste-free lunch program, continued recycling of several recyclable materials (aluminum cans, plastic bottles, used paper, milk cartons, plastic bags) and reuse of unwanted school supplies and other items at the end of the school year.

Source: McHenry County Department of Health press release 


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