Lake County agency hopes to expand electronics collections availability
Libertyville has become the first community to offer limited opportunities for residents to drop off unwanted electronics, but it may not be the last.
Since June 4, Libertyville has allowed drop-offs at its public works facility Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The initiative, approved in May by the village board as a convenience for residents, will continue until Thanksgiving.
"We're hoping we can get a few more towns that are willing to do that," said Walter Willis, executive director of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, which pays a recycling company to remove materials from five year-round sites in Lake County.
Electronic drop-off sites used to be widespread, but many entities have stopped hosting sites or events because of expenses. Waukegan's site is set to close July 1 because it is too expensive to continue, Willis said.
Communities supply space and manpower for the permanent sites that are sponsored by the waste agency, which contracts with a recycling company to remove the materials.
The agency had planned to close the five year-round sites by May 1, but 16 member communities contributed $62,000 to keep them running.
The effort was led by a substantial contribution by Grayslake, which hosts a permanent site. Libertyville has an agreement with Grayslake to accept the electronics once a certain amount is collected.
"The (electronics collection) program appears to be stable, and we hope to augment it with more of these Libertyville-type models," Willis said. Talks continue among stakeholders throughout Illinois to reach a permanent solution, he added.
Rather than have the communities deliver what they collect, the hope is the recycling company will make periodic "milk runs" to sites, such as Grayslake's. That could entice more communities to offer the service, he added.
Vernon Hills and Avon Township have agreed to send employees to Grayslake each month to assist in packing and loading, according to Grayslake Assistant Village Manager Kevin Timony.
Meanwhile, interest in the Libertyville program has expanded weekly, with 21, 44, and 50 customers in successive weeks.
Visitors have dropped off enough TV sets and other items to fill 13 pallets and 13 "Gaylord" boxes, which are about 40 inches tall and span the area of a wooden pallet.
The Grayslake site has seen a large volume increase, Timony said, with more than 800,000 pounds of materials collected during the first three months of 2016. That's 300,000 pounds more than the other sites, he added.