New recycling dropsite in Elk Grove for aerosol products and propane tanks

eWorks has partnered up with Flat Can Recycling to diversity their list of accepted items and make recycling more accessible

Allie Aitken

Flat Can Recycling, a planet-driven company that collects, disassembles and recycles a wide variety of aerosol products and camping-size propane tanks, has announced their newest recycling drop-site location in partnership with eWorks Illinois.

Members of the public and businesses are welcome to bring their products to 1201 Estes Ave, Elk Grove Village, for responsible disposal (a recycling fee of $1 per aerosol can and $3.50 per propane tank applies).

Through their work, Flat Can Recycling is on a mission to shift disposal practices in the communities they serve around Chicagoland. Thanks to partnerships with other closed-loop processors and experts in the responsible disposal of specialized materials, the company is able to document every step of the recycling process in their commitment to transparency and making aerosol product recycling accessible to even more people than before.

eWorks Electronics Services Inc. (eWorks) was established in 2009 to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. eWorks achieves this mission by providing competitive recycling, refurbishment and resale services of all types of office and industrial technologies and consumer electronics including computers, tablets, servers, monitors and LCDs, scanners, copiers and network equipment, power supplies, TVs, stereos, cell phones and household appliances.

Among the latest items to be accepted at the Elk Grove drop site are spray paint, auto products, lubricants, industrial products, insecticides, food products, household cleaners, personal care products, 14.1oz, 14.4oz, 16oz, and 16.4oz propane tanks, and more. A full list of accepted items can be accessed on the Flat Can Recycling website.

"Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) products like aerosol and propane products can't be recycled like other materials. They must be disassembled and safely emptied of their contents, then routed to the proper channels so each component can be recycled,"said Kat Gordon, owner and self-dubbed "Head Honcho"of Flat Can Recycling. "We believe landfill and incineration should be a last resort and there's an opportunity to improve the disposal of household hazardous waste. We're thrilled that our friends at eWorks in Elk Grove have come on board as a drop site partner to extend their already impressive recycling offering to include aerosol products and propane."

All spray paint, primers and coatings, poly sealers, and poly stains are safely processed in Flat Can Recycling's Gilberts-based facility. With the help of their processing partners, plastic caps and spray tips are processed into flakes and pellets for reuse (such as plastic injection molding), residual paint is turned into fuel at one of nine hazardous disposal sites for safe processing, aluminum cans are processed, refined, and reshaped for a variety of uses, and all other material is responsibly disposed.

Residents, retailers, businesses, municipalities, and community organizers who are interested in getting involved with aerosol and propane tank recycling are encouraged to email hello@flatcanrecycling.com to book an information call.