Batavia might drop electronics recycling site

Batavia might drop out of an electronics recycling program run by Kane County because of changes in the program.

The city council will discuss this at a committee meeting Tuesday night.

Since May 2011, Batavia has hosted a self-serve drop-off center in its public works yard on Raddant Road. People would put items in two walk-in containers, and a company hired by the county would pick them up.

The vendor would pay the county for the items. The county would keep 10 percent and give the rest to Batavia.

According to a city memo, the containers frequently fill up, and people then pile their items outside the containers.

A photograph attached to the memo shows a pile of several dozen items, including large-screen TV sets. City workers have had to move items to clear the way for city vehicles to navigate the yard, and sort ineligible items.

And now the vendor wants city workers to stack the recyclables on pallets and put them in a 50-foot trailer for pickup.

"We feel that hosting a drop-off location for the electronics recycling program has progressed to the point where the negatives have begun to outweigh the positives," wrote public works director Gary Holm. He noted some of the items are heavy, and is loathe to have city workers picking them up.

Another factor is that the city is no longer being paid anything.

Jennifer Jarland, the county's recycling program coordinator, said the new procedure should reduce the mess. With the existing smaller containers, some people place large TVs in front of the containers, blocking others from access. Since the vendor converted to an on-call pickup system, it can take up to two days to get a hauler out to pick up a "full" trailer, she said.

The county now receives no money from the vendor, down from $55,000 in 2012. And, Jarland said, the county is lucky it isn't being charged to have the recyclables taken. The market has changed significantly since the program began, she said.

She also said the Batavia site might be getting recyclables from Aurora residents. Aurora has an electronics recycling program, but people are required to prove residency. Jarland said she is trying to find another self-service drop-off site in southern Kane County.

St. Charles, Geneva and West Dundee also participate in the county program. The changes have been implemented in St. Charles, and people sentenced to community service are used for the labor, Jarland said.

The county has a monthly recycling event that accepts electronics at the clerk's office, but has decided not to have the program in winter months starting in 2016 due to inclement weather.