McHenry residents can help solve electronic recycling problem

The McHenry County Department of Health, Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at McHenry County College and SIMS Recycling Solutions are sponsoring a one-day residential electronics waste recycling event at no cost to residents. The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11 at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14 in Crystal Lake.

“Electronics is one of the fastest growing segments of the solid waste stream and has been identified as a priority in the County’s Solid Waste Program and by our residents,” said Kristy Hecke, solid waste manager for the McHenry County Department of Health, Environmental Health Division. Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, the Illinois’ Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act landfill ban for Covered Electronic Devices will go into effect. CEDs include televisions, computers including laptops, monitors and printers.

Items accepted at the collection event include all sizes and kinds of TVs, computers including laptops, computer monitors, hard drives and miscellaneous PC components, handheld electronic organizers/games PDAs, CD ROM/DVD/Zip/tape drives, cords and cables-power, USB, etc., typewriters/word processors, printers, keyboards, computer mice, VCRs/DVD players, digital cameras, camcorders, MP3 players/iPods, hair dryers, coffee makers, calculators, microwave ovens, mobile phones, fax machines, paper shredders. For a complete list of electronics that will be accepted at the collection event, visit www.mcdh.info and look for the June 2011 events.

For more information, call Kristy Hecke, at (815) 334-4585 or email her at klhecke@co.mchenry.il.us or call Pat Dieckhoff at (815) 479-7817 or email to pdieckhoff@mchenry.edu.