Wendy Gets Into Character

Wendy dressed and ready for the Luau
Wendy at the Tinley Park Parade of Lights
Wendy Rocks at KISS
cowboy wendy
wendy the waste truck
wendy the waste truck in Mokena
wendy santa
wendy wreath HDS
Wendy in Homer Glen
Wendy in Homer Glen
Wendy in Lansing
Wendy in Lansing
Wendy as Honest Abe to celebrate Illinois 200th birthday!

Wendy Gets Into Character

Wendy dressed and ready for the Luau
Wendy at the Tinley Park Parade of Lights
Wendy Rocks at KISS
cowboy wendy
wendy the waste truck
wendy the waste truck in Mokena
wendy santa
wendy wreath HDS
Wendy in Homer Glen
Wendy in Homer Glen
Wendy in Lansing
Wendy in Lansing
Wendy as Honest Abe to celebrate Illinois 200th birthday!

2024 Wendy’s Whereabouts

What
Oak Forest Irish Fleadh Parade

Where
Central Avenue from 151st Street to 157th Street.

Time
Saturday, March 2, 11 am

Learn More

What
Tinley Park Irish Parade

Where
Oak Park Ave., Starts at Central Middle School and heads north

Time
Sunday, March 3, Starts at 1 pm

What|
Lansing Good Neighbor Parade

Where
Parade starts at Wentworth and Ridge Road and travels west to Burnham Avenue before turning south to its ending point at Thornton Fractional South High School.

Time
Saturday, May 4, Parade Starts at 2 pm

Learn More >

What|
South Holland Memorial Day Parade

Where Starts at South Park Ave. at 170th Street and heads north to Veteran’s Memorial Park.

Time
Monday, May 27, Parade Starts at 11am

 

What
New Lenox Baseball and Softball Summer Celebration. Wendy the Waste Truck will be there as a touch-a-truck for kids to explore. The New Lenox baseball and softball associations will provide additional food and entertainment during the day. Event is for family and friends of the New Lenox softball and baseball associations.

Where
New Lenox Baseball and Softball fields

Time
Saturday, June 8, 2024 – 11am-2pm

What
Mokena Annual 4th of July Parade
Visit the Mokena Chamber website for more details.

Where
Parade takes place on Wolf Road between LaPorte Road and Granite Drive

Time
Thursday, July 4, 2024 – 10am

What
Village of Homewood 4th of July Parade
Visit the Village of Homewood website for more information

Where
The parade starts at St. John Neumann Church on Dixie Highway and travels east along Ridge Road, finishing at Izaak Walton Preserve.

Time
Thursday, July 4, 2024 – 10am

What
Oak Forest Park District Touch A Truck

Where
Oak Forest, Illinois – 15601 S. Central Ave., Oak Forest, IL 60452

Time
Thursday, July 18
6pm – 8pm

What
Village of Hazel Crest Hazelnut Parade and Festival – Village Website

Where
Hazel Crest, Illinois – The parade ends and festival events take place at 3000 W. 170th Place

Time
Saturday, August 3, 2024
10am – Parade Starts
10am – 2pm  – Youth Events
2pm  – Main Events

What
Frankfort National Night Out – The National Night Out is a crime prevention and community event held by towns nationwide. This year we are joining the Frankfort police department at their event. See Frankfort Village Website for details

Where
Frankfort, Illinois

Time
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 – 6-8pm

What
Village of Homer Glen Labor Day and Back to School Parade
Visit the Homer Glen website for more information

Where
Homer Glen, To be Determined

Time
Saturday, August 31, 2024, 10am

What
Frankfort Fall Fest Parade – Hometown Heroes Theme
Visit the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce website for more information

Where
Frankfort, Illinois

Time
Sunday, September 1, 10am

What
Chebanse Town Homecoming Event. Wendy the Waste Truck will be there for a touch-a-truck event on Saturday morning.

Where
Downtown Chebanse, Illinois

Time
Saturday, September 14 – 9am -12pm

What
Mokena Parade of Lights Wendy the Waste Truck will be there for the lights Parade

Where
Downtown Mokena, Illinois, heading east on Front St

Time
Saturday, November 23, 5pm

What
Homewood Holiday Lights Wendy the Waste Truck roll along with Santa and some antique cars on their way to light the Village Christmas Tree

Where
Downtown Homewood, Illinois

Time
Friday, December 6, 5pm

What
Tinley Park Chamber Parade of Lights

Where
Downtown Tinely Park, Illinois on Oak Park Ave

Time
Sunday, December 8, Dusk /5pm

What
Peotone Lighted Parade – Wendy the Waste Truck joins our neighbors in Peotone!

Where
Downtown Peotone, Illinois – Parade starts at Peotone Jr. High

Time
Saturday December 20, Parade takes place at 5pm

The World’s Biggest Mascot in Your Neighborhood

Downloadable Recycling Resources

recycling coloring book activity book
20 Page Activity Book
recycling at home flyer
Recycle at Home Flyer
color a garbeg truck coloring page
Color a Garbage Truck

Our Big Mascot has a Big Message

Wendy the Waste Truck® was created in honor of Wendell (Wendy) Yonker, the founder of Homewood Disposal Service. They’re both committed to protecting the planet’s resources for the next generation.

Wendy the Waste Truck loves to recycle and is all about keeping the environment clean and safe for his friends (that’s you)! Wendy is also the mascot for our education program. He has gathered a team of recycling experts who are visiting schools to help educate students about the different ways they can help protect the environment. You can catch Wendy at local community events and parades. Wendy runs on environmentally friendly Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

Learn More About Recycling

Education Program
Recycling Just For Kids

Wendy Recycles

Wendy is quite popular these days! He is always getting invited to fun events in the area like Irish Parades, Memorial and Labor Day Parades, 4th of July Parades and many community touch-a-truck events. He loves getting out in the communities that he serves and spending time with fellow garbage and recycling truck enthusiasts!

Wendy’s in Your Neighborhood

Wendy sees a lot of stuff while picking up from thousands of homes each week.  But nothing gets him more excited than when he sees a bin full of recyclables!  He noticed that sometimes people aren’t sure what to put in the recycling bin so he helped put together a detailed list to share! Download the printable list or visit our interactive recycling guide to become an expert recycler just like Wendy!

Why Does Wendy Run on Natural Gas?

  • Trucks running on CNG are quieter so Wendy can wake up early and not disturb his neighbors
  • CNG helps Wendy run healthier and longer
  • CNG reduces the amount of pollutants in the air leaving us with cleaner air to breathe
  • CNG reduces our need to get fuel from foreign countries
  • CNG fuel storage tanks are stronger and safer than diesel, reducing the likelihood of a spill
  • CNG is 98% produced in North America and helps create jobs for our fellow citizens