Kane County Resumes Electronics Recycling at 3 New Locations
Kane County’s electronics recycling program is back, with three new drop-off locations set to open this month.
Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland announced today (Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016) that the county will also resume its popular monthly recycling collection event at the Kane County Branch Court, 540 S. Randall Road, starting this month.
The county’s electronics recycling program took a summer hiatus, after several Kane County municipalities ended longstanding intergovernmental agreements that allowed residents to drop off recyclable electronics for no charge at their public works sites. In April and May, residents flooded the monthly recycling event at the branch court, causing bottlenecks on Randall Road and ultimately leading to a temporary suspension of the electronics recycling program.
Jarland, Kane County Division of Environmental & Water Resources Director Ken Anderson and members of the Kane County Board then set about the task of reinventing the program, finding new local-government partners and establishing a plan to make the program practical and sustainable.
The newly instated program will include fees for recycling TVs and computer monitors, but residents will be able to recycle other electronics for free, and eWorks, the county’s electronics-recycling contractor, will provide staff for the three new drop-off locations in the north, south and central portions of Kane County.
Cost for TVs, Monitors
There will be a fee to recycle tube and flat-screen TVs and computer monitors at each drop-off location and the event.
“You will find that there is a cost for recycling these items pretty much everywhere these days,” Jarland said. “We would have loved to continue the free program, but because of what’s happening state and federal recycling legislation, that’s just not feasible at this time.”
Kane County’s contracted electronics recycling will charge a $25 fee to recycle each screen that is 20 inches or less (measured diagonally), and a fee of $35 to recycle each screen with a diagonal measurement of 21 inches or more.
“The great news is that all other acceptable electronic items can be dropped off for free,” Jarland said. “And the list of items that can be recycled at no cost is pretty long.”
The fee may be paid online in advance or onsite by exact cash or card. It is recommended that you pay online in advance and bring your receipt to any of the county drop-off locations or the collection event. You must have the receipt with you, Jarland said, when you drop off the TV or monitor.
The fee that you pay for screened equipment goes directly to eWorks, a non-profit whose main mission is to employ developmentally disabled individuals.
New Drop-Off Locations and When They Open
Southern Location – Batavia
The former Kane County Jail site at 517 Fabyan Parkway in Batavia will open Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. Drop-off hours of operation will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Central Location – South Elgin
The village of South Elgin is moving out of its old Public Works Department facility at 735 Martin Drive in South Elgin in early September, and the drop-off will open there on Monday, Sept. 19, 2016. Drop-off hours of operation will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Northern Location – West Dundee
The village of West Dundee, one of the previous drop-off locations, will continue to participate at the village’s Public Works Department facility at 900 Angle Tarn in West Dundee. The drop-off will reopen on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. Drop-off hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Note that these weekday start and end times are an hour earlier than the other two drop-offs.
One-Day Collection Event Resumes Sept. 24!
The next event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Kane County Branch Court office at 540 S. Randall Road. The county will be accepting electronics and books at this event.
The date of the October event has yet to be determined. Please check the Kane County Recycles website for updates. The Saturday, Nov. 12, event will include electronics, books, confidential document shredding and liquid latex paint recycling, as previously planned.
Use the New Drop-Off Sites!
Jarland recommends Kane County residents use the convenient daily drop-off locations if you wish to avoid waiting in line at the collection event.
“Not only is it more ecologically responsible to avoid idling for long periods, but spreading the volume of electronics between sites will help the county maintain a professional level of service at the one-day collection events,” she said.
The new drop-off locations will be staffed full-time to avoid mass dumping by businesses or by people who live outside of Kane County. Staffing the sites will help ensure that there is no dumping of unacceptable and/or hazardous materials.
Motion-detecting security cameras will monitor the sites after regular recycling hours, and offenders will be fined. Illegally dumping a TV or any other material at the drop-off sites after hours is a Class A misdemeanor which has a maximum fine of $2,500, a jail sentence up to 364 days, or both.
Funding Sources
The county will be reaching out to each municipality concerning a sustainable funding mechanism for supporting this program into the future. Jarland said that program likely will entail a nominal per capita contribution that “will ensure that residents will continue receive this fundamental and necessary service for the disposal of unwanted electronic waste.”
Please visit the Kane County Recycles webpage frequently to find the most current updates on the program.
Questions? Contact Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland at 630-208-3841 or recycle@countyofkane.org
Read More
- 100 Tons of Stuff, 1,600 Residents Recycled at Saturday’s Event
- Expect Long Lines April 9 When Kane County Re-Starts Monthly Recycling Collection
- Where to Recycle Your Big Old TVs Today
- Illlinois’ Electronics Recycling Struggles Affect Kane County
- Changes Coming in Kane County Electronics Recycling Program
- Why Big TVs, Illinois Law Are Killing Electronics Recycling Programs
- Glut of TVS, Old Laws Force Elgin Habitat ReStore to Stop Accepting Electronics
- Kane County Suspends Free Electronics Recycling After ‘Overwhelming’ May Event
- So, What’s Next for Kane County Electronics Recycling
- Kane County Presents Plan to Reinstate Electronics Recycling Program
About Kane County Recycles
The Kane County Recycles office manages recycling programs for electronics, books, hazardous materials, and other hard-to-recycle materials, and promotes best practices for household recycling, commercial business recycling, and composting. This office oversees recycling-related information and community outreach initiatives, oversees the annual licensing of Waste and Recycling Haulers, provides backyard compost bins, and implements the Kane County Solid Waste Plan. The office oversees the Recycling and Hauler Licensing Ordinance which requires commercial businesses and multi-family residences to recycle, and provides the provisions for hauler licensing and reporting.
For all you ever needed to know about recycling in Kane County see the Kane County Recycles webpage and also sign up here to receive an electronic copy of the new Green Guide each spring.
