Destroy documents, recycle electronics in Palatine
The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County is sponsoring a number of Document Destruction and Electronics Recycling Events during spring, summer and fall months.
Since 2005, 1,114,320 pounds of paper have been shredded and recycled from SWANCC one-day events. There is no cost to attend, but residents must live in one of SWANCC's member communities to participate. IDs will be checked for proof of residency. Materials from businesses, institutions or schools will not be accepted.
On Saturday, Aug. 16, the Village of Palatine, Palatine Park District and Palatine Public Library will host a combined event at Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Parking Lot 3, from 9 a.m. to noon.
As SWANCC residents drive up in their vehicles, workers will unload the paper documents and electronics. Residents are asked to remain in their car during the event.
Typical documents to shred include medical forms, bank statements, personal files and retired tax forms. Staples and paper clips are acceptable, but binders should be removed. Residents will be limited to six file-size boxes or paper shopping bags per vehicle. Do not bring paper in plastic bags.
Under the Illinois Product Recycling and Reuse Act, instituted on Jan. 1, 2012, specific electronics are prohibited from being thrown away in the garbage. SWANCC's program provides a recycling option for banned electronics such as computers and televisions, as well as other household electronics.
Acceptable materials for recycling include answering machines, cable receiver, calculators, camcorders, cameras, CDs, DVDs, computer cables, computer monitors, computers (desktop, notebook, tablet), converter boxes, copy machines, fax machines, humidifiers, microwaves, mobile telephones, mouse or keyboards, MP3 players, portable digital assistants (PDAs), postage machines, power tools or cords, printers (multifunction printers), satellite receiver, scanners, shredders, small home appliances (toasters, blenders, vacuum cleaners, etc.), stereo equipment, telephones, televisions, typewriters, video game consoles, video recorders/players and zip drives.
"SWANCC's goal is to provide convenient and environmentally-sound programs to assist residents with recycling materials, which keeps potentially harmful as well as recoverable materials from going to a landfill," stated Mary Allen, SWANCC Recycling and Education director.
All paper is shredded on-site by Accurate Document Destruction, a division of Groot Industries. The electronics will be recycled by Com2 Recycling Solutions. For information about these companies, visit shredd.net or Com2Recycling.com.
For information on SWANCC's recycling events or other recycling information, contact the agency at (847) 724-9205 or visit swancc.org.
The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) is an intergovernmental agency that was established in 1988 and is comprised of 23 communities: Arlington Heights, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Skokie, South Barrington, Wheeling, Wilmette and Winnetka.