Recycle Your Bicycle At Bolingbrook's Hidden Oaks Preserve

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Forest Preserve District of Will County will again offer its Recycle Your Bicycle program at Hidden Oaks Preserve in Bolingbrook, according to a news release. The program has now expanded to four sites in Will County, including in Bolingbrook, Channahon, Monee and Joliet.

For the first time in the program’s history, which dates back to 2011, bikes can be dropped off at Sugar Creek Preserve in Joliet. No bike is too old or rusty, so head out to your garage or shed to clear some space by donating unused bikes, the preserve said.

The program is already underway and runs through Sept. 28.

"In the spring we were able to offer a one-day collection at a biking outreach event at Prairie Bluff (Preserve), and we had an amazing response with over 30 bikes donated in just a few hours," said Em Wilcher, the Forest Preserve's recreation coordinator. "We realized the opportunity to offer another drop-off location would serve residents in the Joliet area and surrounding towns, so we’re happy to include Sugar Creek Preserve as a collection point for Recycle Your Bicycle this fall. It’s great to be able to provide residents with a convenient, centrally located donation space in the center of the county."

The bikes are collected for Chicago-based Working Bikes, an organization that refurbishes and distributes bikes locally and globally to individuals with disabilities and to individuals in developing countries for transportation.

Also new this year is a trophy awarded by Working Bikes to the Forest Preserve location that collects the most bikes. In the spring collection, Monee Reservoir had the most bikes dropped off, so the trophy is housed at that site for now, according to the preserve.

“It is a really cool trophy,” said Jason Stevenson, concessions manager at Monee Reservoir. “We appreciate all the work the other locations put in, but the trophy looks good here at Monee. All kidding aside, after I believe 14 seasons, I’m glad to see this program not only still going but growing. Working Bikes is a great organization to work with. The trophy only adds a friendly twist to this program.”

The program has expanded from a program once a year at Monee Reservoir to collections in the spring and fall at four locations, the preserve said. An estimated 3,000-plus bikes have been donated so far.

The Bolingbrook location is at Hidden Oaks Preserve from 8 a.m. to sunset. The bike drop is on the southwest side of the parking lot.