Portage urging residents to rethink how they cut grass

PORTAGE | Breaking habits can be difficult, even when it comes to something as simple as cutting the lawn.

Lake waste district aids Lowell Green Community drive

LOWELL | This south Lake County community is going green in a big way.

Valpo urges residents to "Think Before You Throw"

VALPARAISO | The city has launched a "Think Before You Throw" campaign to encourage more recycling.

Dyer looks at contract that would pay cash for recycling

DYER | The town already recycles its electronics, but is now looking at a potential contract that could earn it cash for those recyclables.

Hebron seeks new trash hauling bids

HEBRON | The town will open bids at its May 21 meeting for trash pickup for the coming year and hopes to reduce costs by only picking up recycling every other week.

Portage council tweaks trash ordinance

PORTAGE | The City Council approved an amendment to the new trash ordinance that could save some people money.

Green Notes: Reinventing the wheels

Lee Ravenscroft was tired of seeing scrappers driving down the street with trucks overflowing with bicycles.

Valpo agrees to new contract for trash, recycling

VALPARAISO | The city's new contract with Homewood Disposal will cost a little more for trash but could earn a few more bucks for recycling.

Hobart City Hall, public works will be closed on Good Friday

HOBART | Hobart offices will be closed for Good Friday.

EDITORIAL: Put tighter controls on grants for recycling

The Lake County Solid Waste Management District's enormous budget includes grants to communities for recycling. But that's not necessarily how the recipients use that money.

More accountability of recycle grants sought

Lake County Solid Waste Management District distributes about $2.8 million -- about 55 percent of its 2013 budget -- to all county municipalities based on population.

Trash takes high-tech, circuitous recycling route at facility

CHICAGO | A labyrinth of conveyor belts, magnets and people move and sort about 600 tons of old plastic bottles, cans and used paper each day.

County recycling districts offer different service levels

With vastly differing budgets, the Lake County Solid Waste Management District and the Porter County Recycling and Waste Reduction District are worlds apart in what they can offer people who recycle.

Valpo, Boone Grove compost sites to open April 1

PORTER COUNTY | The Valparaiso compost site, 2150 W. Lincolnway, and the Boone Grove site, 400 West 550 South, will open for the season April 1, to give Porter County residents the opportunity to drop off yard waste from their spring cleanups.

County recycling districts offer different service levels

Plastic and aluminum sit baled ready for shipment to customers at the Waste Management-Recycling America facility.

County recycling districts offer different service levels

Spotters sort out materials from paper at the Waste Management-Recycling America facility on Chicago's South Side. The 180,000-square-foot facility processes more than 600 tons of paper, plastic, aluminum, tin and cardboard each day. About 1,300 tons came from Northwest Indiana Between Janua…

County recycling districts offer different service levels

Cardboard and other recyclable materials are unloaded and then placed on a conveyor system that carries the material through a sorting process at the Waste Management-Recycling America facility where more than 600 tons of paper, plastic, aluminum, tin and cardboard are processed each day. Ab…

County recycling districts offer different service levels

A series of conveyors and mechanical sorters carry paper and other recyclable material at the Waste Management-Recycling America facility on Chicago's South Side. The facility processes about 650 tons of recyclable waste each day, some of which comes from Northwest Indiana.

County recycling districts offer different service levels

Bales of paper ready to be shipped at the Waste Management-Recycling America facility on Chicago's South Side, where it processes more than 600 tons of paper, plastic, aluminum, tin and cardboard each day.