• Editor’s Note: This article is written by Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland. Got a question or idea for a recycling tip? Contact Jarland at 630-208-3841 or recycle@countyofkane.org.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Recycling Event on Saturday, April 14!

We had an outstanding turnout, serving more than 1,300 cars throughout the four-hour event. That’s 325 cars per hour — or 5.4 cars per minute!

Here’s what we recycled and some other interesting facts about the event.

39 Tons of Recycled Materials!

• Electronics: eWorks Electronics Services collected two 53-foot trailers full (about 40,000 pounds or 20 tons) of electronics for recycling.
• Books: Pacesetter Books collected a station wagon full of books (1,000 pounds or .5 tons) for reuse and a roll off of older books (16,000 pounds or 8 tons) bound for paper recycling with WestRock.
• Paint: Earth Paint collected more than 900 containers (about 10,000 pounds or 5 tons) of paint for reuse and recycling.
• Paper Shredding: Accurate Document Destruction shredded two “super trucks” full (24,660 pounds or 12.3 tons) of documents, and the paper will all be recycled.

Total: 46 tons of recycled materials!

Extraordinary Turnout

More than 40 people – partners, staff and many volunteers – served 1,300 vehicles during the event!

This extraordinary number of attendees does make these events more difficult to manage, but luckily, with the help of our volunteer emergency management officers, we were able to direct traffic in an orderly manner that ensured the fastest service and the personal safety of workers and attendees.

It is difficult to predict the turnout for any given event, even when we use past year counts to estimate. Sometimes it is low and sometimes it is high.

This one was well above average.

Document Shredding

The document shredding was particularly well attended. Unfortunately, that meant prospective shredders who came after 10 a.m. for that free service had to be told that the shred trucks had reached capacity.

Truthfully, we have not had that problem for several years. That said, we do have the disclaimer on our website that notes that we will receive documents for shredding only until the trucks are full.

On Saturday, we had so many people in the first two hours that we could see that both trucks would be full by the time we served everyone waiting in line. For that reason, as well as for safety, we had to direct the newcomers off the lot.

Kane County regrets any inconvenience that this may have caused.

Why Did Shredding Trucks Fill Up Before Noon?

 

My best guess as to why we received nearly 25,000 pounds of paper in three hours is that it was tax time and everyone was doing a spring clean.

Another reason for the flood of documents is that our outreach has become too effective. Kane County Connects reports that the Facebook post for the event article reached nearly 9,000 people. All of the local papers, several other local-government websites and even some radio stations picked up the story this time around.

That so many people want to recycle is great! We will continue to work to make it possible to serve as many people as we can during these events.

Non-Confidential Documents

Another reason the shredding trucks filled up before noon, I suspect, is that some people bring documents that are not confidential — like junk mail.

Documents with information like name, address, and phone numbers are not considered confidential as they can be found in phone directories or in common records. Those kinds of information do not need to be shredded.

Please DO NOT BRING periodicals, magazines, and other junk mail​ that do not contain confidential information! Those materials can go in your household recycling bin.

Please take the time to sort out your documents before attending these events, out of courtesy to others who also want to securely dispose their confidential documents.

Next Event — Electronics And Books!

• When: 8 a.m. to noon (12 p.m.) May 12, 2018
• Where: 540 S. Randall Road, St. Charles, IL 60174
• What:
  • Electronics — see list of accepted items
  • Books (hard and soft covers, any age, any condition, free of cost) are accepted at all scheduled collection events.
• Costs:
  • TVs and monitors cost $25 (under 21 inches measured diagonally across the screen) or $35 (21 inches and over). Pay online in advance HERE​ (you MUST print the receipt and bring it with you!) ​or pay at event with cash or card only.​
  • Books and a​ll other accepted electronic items are free to drop off.

Next Shredding Event

The next shredding event will be July 14. Click here for more information! You will also find information about alternative shredding options on that page.

Please note the free WestRock drop-off option in Aurora; be sure to call before you go for instructions.