Why Kane County residents might want to recycle old TVs now
Kane County residents who want to get rid of an old TV should do it sooner rather than later - recycling it will cost up to $35 by the end of summer.
The Kane County Board this week approved a new recycling fee for televisions. Local residents will pay $25 to recycle TVs smaller than 21 inches. The fee increases to $35 for larger TVs.
The money will not go to the county. The private contractor that handles the recycling will receive the fee money.
It is illegal to dump electronics in landfills in Illinois. To minimize environmental damage, electronics manufacturers cover the costs of recycling their products up to a certain annual weight limit. Once the county hits that limit, there is no money to cover the recycling costs.
That's where the new fee comes into play. Projections show the county hitting that weight limit long before the year is out.
That's not uncommon. Municipalities and counties across the state have scrapped their electronics recycling programs because their residents are surpassing the weight goals. That's left local governments with the bill to cover any electronics recycling beyond what the manufacturers will reimburse.
Efforts are underway to change the legislation. However, the wheels of government are moving too slowly for Kane County to have faith in its ability to keep its recycling program going without charging a fee.
"It's not ideal, but I really believe this is the best way to go until we can find a better solution," said Jennifer Jarland, the county's recycling coordinator.
The fear for people like Kane County Board member Phil Lewis is people will sooner dump their old TVs in a ditch or a forest preserve than pay $35. Lewis believes the county has the money to front the costs of the program. He said it is a matter of "community welfare" and "environmental welfare" that the recycling program thrives.
Lewis will bring that thought into the county's 2017 budget debate. He believes sales and other taxes have outpaced projections to the extent the county could afford the added burden. The problem is that burden may exceed $200,000 over the course of a full budget year.
Board members such as Kurt Kojzarek made it clear that's a cost he doesn't believe is the county's responsibility.
"I simply see this as a user fee," Kojzarek said. "If you can afford a $500 flat-screen TV, you can afford $35 to get rid of your old one."
Other board members compared the new recycling fee to stickers residents in some communities buy for leaf and yard waste disposal.
While the county board approved the new fees for the rest of this budget year, the actual time frame for implementing the fees is a bit in limbo.
The county has not yet hit its weight limit for reimbursement by manufacturers. Jarland said she expects the tipping point will come by August. That leaves two countywide recycling events - Saturday and June 11 - before the $25 and $35 fees go live. Jarland expects a flood of TVs at those events.
"It's a horrifying thought," Jarland said. "The events are already incredibly busy. We already have to turn people away when the collection containers are full. But most of the projections say we have another three years of this onslaught of old TVs. It's like TV Armageddon."