Why it’s Illinois law to recycle old electronics, and where you can drop them off

For anyone wondering what to do with that broken laptop from five years ago, or with the collection of discarded cellphones they’ve amassed over the years, Illinois state law says that whatever you do, it’s illegal to throw your old electronics in the trash.

One of 25 states that have electronic recycling laws, Illinois updated its existing law in 2017, establishing the Consumer Electronics Recycling Act. The law put in place a statewide system for recycling and reusing unwanted electronics. It requires electronics manufacturers to share in the management and financial responsibility of doing so.

Mary Allen, recycling and education director at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County, said the drive for recycling electronics comes down to conservation and environmental health.

“The whole idea behind recycling electronics is that anything that is made comes from a resource our earth provides. The metals and the glass both have recoverability as well as potential toxicity – for the heavy metals, for the mercury, for the cadmium in some of the old TVs and monitors,” Allen said. “It’s important from an environmental standpoint to try and recover what we can, and certainly to do safe disposal or recycling of the components that can harm our land, air or water.”

Allen has been working on electronics recycling for more than 20 years. Before the law came in force, the Solid Waste Agency partnered with Motorola to fund and host annual drop-off days for residents at either Motorola’s Schaumburg or Arlington Heights campus.

“In 2000, we had 2,400 cars that came. It was on that cusp of Y2K when people were freaking out about their electronics not working, which just raised the awareness of the need and the desire to recycle them,” she said.

Today, the agency has a year-round drop-off location in Des Plaines. While most counties have similar locations listed on their websites, you also can check your municipality or waste hauler website to see if curbside pickup is offered.

In Arlington Heights, for instance, residents can schedule curbside electronics collection. The hauler will collect up to two electronic items from each household per week with no additional fee – unless it’s a cathode-ray tube television that weighs more than 50 pounds, for which there would be a charge.

Allen said one of the most common questions she gets at the Solid Waste Agency is whether drop-off locations will accept such TVs. She confirmed the agency’s transfer station in Des Plaines does, but for other sites, Allen recommends checking with the organizer beforehand.

Another common question is what electronics exactly are prohibited from the landfill by law. According to the state Environmental Protection Agency, devices covered under the program include computers, computer monitors, electronic keyboards and mice, printers, fax machines, DVD players, cable receivers and video game consoles.

Enforcement of the law is typically on the waste collection side – haulers will be charged a fine if they send electronics to the landfill.

“There is a fine involved. Is it heavily enforced? Do things get through the system? It could happen, but the private companies that manage the residential waste are well aware of this law, and they know there are fines associated if they’re caught putting them in landfill,” Allen said.

Once electronics are collected, they’re typically taken apart by hand by waste hauler employees at transfer stations or warehouses. Metals, plastics and glass are removed for reuse, while hard drives are shredded and any hazardous materials are separated for management according to state law.

Allen said batteries are not covered under the law, and battery recycling is separate from electronics recycling. While batteries embedded in a device such as a cellphone or laptop can be left, any battery that can be easily removed should either be recycled or thrown away – as is the case with your typical alkaline battery.

The Solid Waste Agency’s database of Chicago area drop-off locations for various household items can be found on its website, along with an FAQ of common recycling questions.

“Everything that we buy and that we use comes from a resource our earth provides. When we look at ways to reduce and reuse before even recycling, it reduces the need of extracting raw materials. It reduces water usage, energy usage and reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” Allen said. “By reducing, reusing, recycling, composting, one can reduce their carbon footprint that contributes to global warming.”

Information for electronics drop-off by county can be found at the links below:

Cook: tinyurl.com/CookElectronics

Lake: tinyurl.com/LakeElectronics

DuPage: tinyurl.com/DuPageElectronics

Kane: tinyurl.com/Kane-Electronics

McHenry: tinyurl.com/McHenryElectronics

• Jenny Whidden is a Report For America corps member covering climate change and the environment for the Daily Herald. To help support her work with a tax-deductible donation, see dailyherald.com/rfa.

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