BOLINGBROOK, IL — The Bolingbrook Park District as of June 15 has become Will County's eighth permanent electronic recycling site, according to a release from Will County Executive Denise Winfrey.
"We're pleased to partner with the park district to give residents another venue to safely and legally dispose of their electronic items," Winfrey said. "A-Team Recyclers, a local electronics recycling contractor, continues to work with us in our efforts to make it easier for residents to get rid of items they no longer want or need."
According to data on the Will County Green website, electronic items have been recognized as the fastest growing segment of the waste stream since the 1990s by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and these items contain materials that can be recycled multiple times. Some materials in electronic items are also considered hazardous.
The Bolingbrook site at 301 Recreation Drive will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of each month, except for holidays.
Marta Keane, the county recycling specialist with the Land Use Department's Resource Recovery and Energy Division said with the addition of Bolingbrook Park District, the county now offers eight locations to drop off residential televisions, related items, computers and all associated items, along with a wide array of semi-electronic items such as microwaves, power tools, telephones, tape recorders and toaster ovens.
In consultation with the health department, county officials have determined that these collections should not pose a risk if the following precautions are taken:
- Participants Remain in their vehicles at all times
- Participants show ID proving residency within Will County by holding it to the window for staff to see
- Staff be allowed to remove items without assistance
There is a limit of two television sets per car per day. Hard drives of computers need to be cleaned before bringing them to the site.
Some additional instructions:
- Bring only residentially generated electronic items. No business electronics can be taken. Businesses are encouraged to call Will County or go to their website for recycling/reuse information.
- Place materials carefully in boxes as indicated by signs at the sites.
- All batteries need to be removed prior to dropping off items.
- Items should not be in their original packaging.
For a complete list of what is banned from Illinois landfills as well as items accepted the recycling sites, visit here.