Electronic Drop-off Sites to Stay Open for 2016

There is good news for Lake County residents that need to dispose of old televisions, monitors, printers and other electronic equipment that are not allowed in the regular trash. The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) has announced that five electronic drop-off sites in Lake County, including the one on Half Day Road, in Highland Park, will not be closing, as previously announced.

Through the leadership of the village of Grayslake, which first contributed $20,000 toward paying unforeseen costs, the free drop-off and recycling program will continue through 2016. On the organization's website, SWALCO Executive Director Walter Willis says the organization has raised about $62,000 in voluntary funds from 15 municipalities and will continue the program through the end of the year.

Willis and the SWALCO board will be working with state legislators to obtain a permanent funding mechanism for this program and keep electronics out of the landfill in the future. The Illinois Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act of 2012 bans the disposal of certain electronic devices in landfills, and SWALCO operates several recycling facilities throughout the county. Lake County is recycling about 4 million pounds annually and statewide the number exceeds 67 million pounds of electronics.

 

For more information, visit swalco.org.