Kane County Government
How Do I
KANE COUNTY RECYCLES
Recycling Information
Phone: 630.208.3841
Fax: 630.208.3837
Email: recycle@countyofkane.org

ELECTRONICS AND BOOK RECYCLING

Kane County�s Free Monthly Collection Event for Electronics and Book Recycling


Location:  540 S Randall Road, St. Charles / 630-208-3841
Summer Hours:  2nd Saturday of each month; 8am � 2pm
New Winter Hours: 2nd Saturday of each month;  8am � 12noon
 
Summer 2013  Apr 13 | May 11 | Jun 8 | Jul 13 | Aug 10 | Sept 14  8am � 2pm
Winter 2013-14  Oct 12 | Nov 9 | Dec 14 | Jan 11 | Feb 9 | Mar 8  8am � 12noon

Notice: The Electronics Recycling program is a residential program only. Businesses see information at bottom of this page. Thank you.

Security: Kane County is currently contracting with Sims Recycling Solutions, Inc (SRS) for electronics collection and recycling services. Upon receipt, SRS will assess equipment for reusability or refurbishment. What cannot be reused will be responsibly demanufactured in the United States and recycled according to R2 standards. All data stored on computer hard drives will be completely erased or destroyed under the highest security (meeting all FACTA privacy protection requirements), so there is no need to wipe your drives before recycling.

Service: We will unload your equipment for you, so you may stay comfortably in your car. Wait times are now greatly reduced from previous years; expect between 0 and 5 minutes maximum wait. We accept for free all the electronic items listed below from Kane County residents. We can no longer serve businesses; see below Business Quantities for a list of options.

Books: We also recycle books at these monthly collections! Books can be of any age, in any condition, either paperback or hard cover. They are assessed for reuse and redistributed if possible. Otherwise they are sent for recycling, having the bindings cut off and all paper recycled.

List of Electronic Items Accepted:

  • Cable / Satellite Receivers
  • Cables
  • Calculators
  • Camcorders
  • Cameras
  • CD Drives
  • Cell Phones / PDAs
  • Christmas / Holiday light strands
  • Circuit Boards
  • Computers [CPUs, Laptops, Tablet PCs]
  • Copy Machines
  • Digital Converter Boxes
  • Digital Recorders
  • DVD Players
  • Fax Machines
  • Hard Drives
  • Keyboards
  • Media [software, floppy discs, CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes, VCR tapes]
  • Mice
  • Microphones
  • Microwaves
  • Modems
  • Monitors � all types
  • MP3 Players / Portable Music Players
  • Network Equipment [servers, hubs, mainframes]
  • Postage Machines
  • Power Tools
  • Printers
  • Scanners
  • Servers
  • Small Home Appliances [blenders, fans, toasters, toaster ovens, vacuum cleaners, microwaves]
  • Stereos / Receivers
  • Switch Boxes
  • Tape Drives
  • Telecommunications equipment [phones, phone systems, answering machines, intercom systems]
  • Toner and Printer Cartridges [must be contained in a bag]
  • TVs � all types
  • Typewriters
  • Vacuum Cleaners
  • VCRs
  • Video Game Consoles
  • Video Game Controllers
  • Word Processors
  • Zip Drives

Electronic Items NOT Accepted:

Large home appliances/white goods (dehumidifiers, air conditioners, stoves, washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, etc.)  Please contact your city, village, or waste hauler to arrange for the disposal of these items. Dehumidifiers can be taken to The Crusher in West Chicago, 630-231-6888.

Large stereo speakers (extra-large wooden-box speakers) We will take the speakers themselves, but not the box. Please remove the speakers from the wooden box, dispose of the wood and bring the speaker mechanism to our recycling event.

Batteries (not contained in equipment): If the batteries are in the equipment, we will take them. See the Battery Recycling page for information on recycling loose batteries.

Hazardous waste (Mercury-containing devices, thermostats, thermometers, smoke detectors, liquids and gases, fluorescent tubes, etc): See the Household Hazardous Waste page for information on disposal of these items.

Fluorescent Lights (tubes and compact fluorescent lights [CFLs]): CFLs can be disposed of at most hardware stores (just check with your local one), and all Home Depot stores. Please place old CFLs in a plastic zip-lock bag and place in the designated drop-boxes at participating stores. For full information see the Fluorescent Lights page.

Printable Version of Accepted Items List


Business Quantities:

Due to costs, Kane County can no longer offer free drop-off  for businesses (any for-profit company, computer retail, repair) or intergovernmental entities (NPO, library, school, city, county). The Electronics Recycling and Reuse Act specifies that electronics are banned from the landfill in Illinois, but only provides for residential recycling programs to be funded through the law. Therefore businesses are responsible for selecting their own recycling company.

Businesses may contact a recycling company that is registered with the Illinois EPA, including these local firms to assist in your ongoing electronics recycling needs:
  • COM2 Recycling - Carol Stream (630) 653-2662
  • Hobi International- Batavia (630) 761-0500
  • MRK Group - Elgin (847) 468-1700
  • Sims Recycling Solutions - West Chicago (630) 231-6060
  • Supply-Chain Services - Lombard (630) 629-9344
  • Vintage Tech Recyclers - Romeoville (630) 305-0922