Will County Forest Preserve Kicks Off “Recycle Your Bicycle” Drive on Sept. 12

Mark your calendars – the Forest Preserve District of Will County is rolling out its annual “Recycle Your Bicycle” program on September 12. Whether you’ve got a chrome‑finished road bike, a rusty cruiser, or just a handful of wheels and gears, they’ll take it.

The drive runs until September 27, and this year it’s spread across five different preserve sites. “A few years back we only used Monee Reservoir as a drop‑off,” explains Cindy Wojdyla Cain, the preserve’s public information officer, “but the response was so strong we added four more locations.” It’s a good sign, right?

Here’s where you can park your bike for a good cause:
• Hidden Oaks Preserve (Bolingbrook) – southwest side of the parking lot, 8 a.m. to sunset.
• Isle a la Cache Museum (Romeoville) – far‑west parking lot near the latrine, 8 a.m. to sunset.
• McKinley Woods – Kerry Sheridan Grove (Channahon) – center of the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center lot, 8 a.m. to sunset.
• Monee Reservoir – visitor center lot, open bright and early at 6 a.m. until sunset.
• Sugar Creek Preserve – north end of the far‑west lot, 8 a.m. to sunset.

All bikes – even the ones that look like they’ve seen better days – get bundled up and shipped to Working Bikes, a Chicago‑based nonprofit that’s been fixing up and redistributing bicycles since 1999. They don’t just hand them out locally; many end up in schools, shelters, and even overseas programs that need a reliable ride.

Since the program’s humble start in 2011, it’s grown from a single‑day, single‑site event to these bi‑seasonal pop‑ups. Over 3,000 bicycles have been collected so far, and, according to Cain, “no matter how many times we run it, people keep showing up with more bikes than we can count.” It feels good knowing that an old bike isn’t just rusting in a garage – it’s becoming a lifeline for someone else.

So, if you’ve got a spare bike or even just parts that are gathering dust, swing by one of the listed preserves. Drop it off, say hello, and walk away knowing you’ve helped keep wheels turning for folks who really need them.