Book Reuse and Recycling Event ‘busiest’ ever
Book Reuse and Recycling Event ‘busiest’ ever
JOLIET -- About 69,000 books went home with new readers from the “busiest” Will County Reuse and Recycle Book Event to date.
Tim Anderson of the Will County Land Use Department’s Resource Recovery and Energy Division said the event at the Pilcher Park Nature Center June 5-7 “was the busiest in both number of people who attended and books.” Anderson has spearheaded the event, which began in 1999, the last four years. The event is co-sponsored by the Joliet Park District.
In all, an estimated 80,000 books were collected, of which about 11,000 were sent to a recycler at the event’s end. Those 11,000 included about 1,500 law books from the Will County Courthouse dropped off for recycling.
About half of the books came in from Will County schools. County libraries contributed another estimated 10,000 books.
“The public response for the annual book event has always been positive,” said Anderson. “First-time visitors are always amazed about the Pilcher Park Nature Center and what a gem lies in the City of Joliet. With the nature center’s waterways, forest, reptiles, animals and hiking paths, I think this is part of what attracts people to the book collection event.
“But not only that, residents can always count on finding a gem within the books for themselves, whether it be a cookbook, fiction or non-fiction. As one resident stated, ‘I come to the event every year because I know I will be bringing books back from the previous year’s event to share with someone else and they will be sharing with me. I never go home empty handed.’”
The next book event is scheduled for June 3-5, 2016, said Anderson.
For additional information about the Land Use Department and its programs, go to www.willcountygreen.com.
The Will County Land Use Department is led by Director Curt Paddock and is under County Executive Larry Walsh’s office.
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