advertisement

Kane County trying to relaunch electronics recycling

Kane County is working to revamp and reactivate its electronics recycling program, which was suspended months ago after the county received an unmanageable volume of materials.

By creating a new system for daily collection sites and resuming special recycling events, the county hopes to again provide residents with opportunities to safely dispose of their TVs, computers and electronics, said recycling coordinator Jennifer Jarland.

Specifics on when and where those improvements will be implemented, however, remain unknown.

In recent years, staff members in a few participating municipalities struggled to keep up with an onslaught of electronic materials, particularly TVs, being left at their daily drop-off sites, Jarland said. Some also had concerns about the potential safety hazards associated with loading heavy materials into large, 50-foot trailers.

As a result, all daily drop-off sites were shut down by early April. And after the county's May recycling event was bombarded with materials, officials declared the program "suspended indefinitely."

As part of a solution, Jarland said, the county is seeking local government agencies to participate in creating "a new network of electronics recycling drop-off locations that will be able to sustainably serve the residents of Kane County under current conditions."

Though no sites have been finalized, she said, front-runners are previous participants West Dundee and Batavia, as well as Aurora. Officials also are working to secure backup options, she added.

At each location, which would be open weekdays, recycling nonprofit eWorks Electronics Services would provide trailers, necessary supplies and one staff member to operate the site full time, said Lou Fyda, vice president for the Midwest region.

The staff at participating agencies would be asked to provide the location, monitor the area and spend up to an hour at the end of each day using a forklift to load packaged materials into trailers, Jarland said.

"To reduce the burden on them, we now are offering to do it as a turnkey operation," Fyda said. "We're going to make those sites more self-sufficient."

In turn, eWorks would charge consumers $25 for all TVs and monitors with screens up to 20 inches and $35 for those 21 inches and bigger. Consumers wouldn't be charged for the other electronics collected.

"The ability to (recycle electronics) across the board for free is no longer an option," Fyda said. "The key is sustainability. We find this to be the most long-term, sustainable approach to taking care of people's concerns of handling things at the sites and the funding mechanism so it stays as consistent as possible."

Wait and see

Despite the improvements to the program, West Dundee trustees recently indicated they were hesitant to jump on board, saying the village should receive compensation for its involvement. One trustee also suggested a larger town, such as Elgin, be chosen for the northern site.

Other West Dundee officials said they believe more municipalities should be involved, though Jarland said eWorks has the resources to handle only three sites across the county.

"The reason and rationale for our participation in this is to demonstrate a leadership role in our commitment to promoting green practices," Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said. "But it also has to be a countywide solution and not just three (towns) that are willing to step forward."

Jarland said the county is considering financial assistance for participating agencies, including grant money from the Grand Victoria Casino. The county board's riverboat grant committee will consider the allocation of internal grants this month.

Additionally, Jarland said, the county is looking into the possibility of all Kane County municipalities paying a per capita contribution to the program.

Aurora spokesman Dan Ferrelli said the city is in discussions with Kane County about the funding and logistics of opening a collection location. Recognizing a "high demand for electronics recycling," he said, Aurora had already been planning to create its own electronics recycling event for its residents.

Batavia officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Until the electronics recycling program is operational, all periodic recycling events typically held at 540 S. Randall Road, St. Charles, are on hold, Jarland said, other than a Nov. 12 event for shredding, paint and books.

Once the three sites are finalized and opened - simultaneously, officials hope - the events will resume, she said.

Though plans for a solution are moving along, Jarland said, "I can't make any promises and I don't know for sure" when the program will be reactivated.

In the meantime, she said, residents are encouraged to dispose of their electronics at various collection sites throughout the suburbs, including Elgin Recycling and others listed on the county's website.

"There's definitely a need for this across the entire state," Jarland said. "All of the electronics recyclers in the area have opened their doors to the public. There are options for people now, and I feel that most people want to do the right thing."

  Batavia's public works yard was a previous drop-off location for electronics before the program was suspended earlier this year because of an unmanageable amount of materials being dropped off. Susan Sarkauskas/ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.