Ongoing initiatives

WHEN "YOU'RE BEING AUDITED" IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO HEAR

The Village of Winnetka has launched a free Residential Energy Assessments program, to assist homeowners in making energy saving choices in their homes.
 

The Village has partnered with Northbrook-based The Electric Home Company to perform on-site assessments and provide recommendations for home improvements that could increase comfort and safety as well as save energy and money. Audits will utilize HomeBoost, an industry-standard diagnostic tool, and proven techniques such as infrared scanning to identify and quantify opportunities for energy efficiency and electrification improvements. The deliverable for each audit is a detailed report with personalized, prioritized recommendations accompanied by cost and savings estimates. In addition, The Electric Home Company offers expert guidance and recommendations for qualified contractors to complete the projects and highlights potential financial incentives and rebates that may be available.
 

Assessments are limited to one per address for homes smaller than 5,000 square feet and more than 15 years old until program funding is exhausted.

Did you know that the Village of Winnetka has a clean energy and energy saving rebate program for utility customers? Take advantage of the savings when you make qualifying upgrades to your home. Rebates include the following:

• Up to $3,000 for solar energy systems
• $500 for Level 2 and 3 EV charging
• Up to $600 for efficient replacement air conditioners
• $100 to $500 for efficient electric appliances

Find out more on the Village's website.

The Illinois EPA has announced the next EV Rebate Program application cycle is open and will run through December 31. Forms and instructions on submitting a rebate application are available on the Illinois EPA's EV Rebate Program webpage. 

Did you know that it is illegal in Illinois to throw certain electronic devices into the trash?  Electronics contain hazardous materials that should be kept out of the environment, as well as valuable and precious metals that can be reused, such as gold, silver, copper, zinc, aluminum, platinum, cobalt, nickel, etc.

The Electronics Recycling Program in Winnetka is held each Thursday from 1 – 3 pm at the Public Works Yards at 1390 Willow Road until the end of November. Learn more about accepted items here.

Once we're finished putting all the decorations away, some of us will be looking to do some home improvement projects this winter. Often, that old can of paint we had intended to use for touch-ups is no longer viable, and we're faced with the question of what to do with it. Good news! A new paint recycling program that began December 1 enables households and businesses to recycle leftover paint, stain, and varnish conveniently and sustainably. The program is operated by PaintCare, a nonprofit organization created by paint companies through the American Coatings Association (ACA) to manage leftover paint in states that have enacted paint stewardship laws. A collection network of over 250 drop-off sites across Illinois are anticipated, which is achieved through partnerships with paint and hardware retail stores and local government facilities. Find out more here.

Never put batteries in your residential recycling cart or garbage; they can cause dangerous fires! Since January 1, 2026, battery recycling is the law in Illinois and manufacturers support drop-off collection sites throughout the state. The program is operated by The Battery Network (formerly Call2Recycle), a nonprofit that runs North America's largest consumer battery collection and recycling program. Dozens of locations in the Winnetka area accept common household and rechargeable batteries. Some accept specialty batteries like e-bike or high energy (>300 watt hours) batteries. Check each location’s details before your visit. Find a location here.

Reduce flooding and save water for later use. Rain barrels capture rainwater from your roof and save it for later use. Rain barrels can help prevent basement backups, street flooding and sewer overflows by keeping rainwater out of the sewer system.

You can use rain barrel water to:

• Wash your car
• Water your lawn or garden
• Clean work boots, tools and bikes

Rain barrel water is naturally free of chlorine, lime, and calcium and some gardeners swear their plants prefer it!

Discounted rain barrels are available to Cook County residents while supplies last. Each rain barrel is $22.30, including tax and delivery, or $11.15 for ages 65+. Limit two per household. 

Recycle Coach* is a state-wide program made available at no cost to every municipality and resident, funded through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Residents may download the Recycle Coach app at recyclecoach.com, the App Store, and Google Play and may access the information on the Village of Winnetka’s Website the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County's website, and more.

Recycle Coach is a communications platform available via web and mobile app that informs, educates, and saves time for residents and Village staff with three primary features:

• REMINDERS ABOUT WEEKLY CURBSIDE PICKUPS AND SCHEDULE CHANGES for refuse, recycling, and yard waste, as well as information about standing collections for polystyrene, electronics, and more; 
• 'WHAT GOES WHERE' TOOL that provides localized information entered by municipal and waste agency staff for every material *not collected curbside, whether through donation, drop-off location, event, or other (batteries, electronics, soft plastics, bulky items, tires, paint, eg - you name it, it’s in there); and
• EDUCATIONAL CONTENT AND WORDLE-LIKE QUIZZES that collectively work to increase recycling rates while at the same time decreasing contamination - it's win-win-win! 

*Go Green Winnetka’s president is employed by Recycle Coach and helping to roll out this state-wide program.

EcoShip is a Chicago-based nonprofit that diverts packaging materials from landfills and provides them to local businesses and artists for reuse. Now you can drop off materials at Rebuilding Exchange in Evanston.

Drop off packaging materials, along with other hard-to-recycle items such as toothbrushes, sneakers, and more in collaboration with the City of Evanston. You can also pick up materials like bubble wrap and packing peanuts. This site will accept a limited list of items: mailers, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, packing paper, and crinkle cut shred (no personal documents of any sort!)

Know someone moving? Have new neighbors unpacking? Let them know about EcoShip. We also have a handy New Homeowners Guide on our website to assist in making environmentally-friendly choices throughout the moving process.

That's why Go Green Winnetka is partnering with other organizations to collect  Bread Tags for Wheelchairs. These tags (bread, bagel, muffin, produce, veggies) are pristine plastic and a valuable raw material and billions are made each year. They can’t be recycled through standard curbside programs because they are too small and too lightweight to sort easily. Most are made from #6 plastic/polystyrene.
 

Look for Mason jars at D36 schools—and start saving those bread tags!

260,000 bread tags = 200 lbs of plastic = one basic wheelchair

Check out these websites of participating organizations for more information.

Go Green Winnetka
Glencoe Sustainability Task Force
SCARCE
Danielle Cares for Chairs

Contact Go Green Winnetka with any questions.