2011 Kane County Diversion Data

In 2011 Kane County�s curbside recycling programs diverted over 43% of waste from the landfills - that means that almost half of our residential and commercial waste was recycled and mulched or composted rather than buried! These recyclable and organic materials are valuable resources that can be returned to the cycle and reused again and again! Thank you for your commitment to recycling!
 

CURBSIDE: over 325 tons recycled and mulched or composted

• 280 million pounds (140,000 tons) of paper and containers were collected through curbside recycling programs from households, businesses, and drop off centers in Kane County
• 45.5 million lbs. (22, 750 tons) of yard waste were collected and composted

In addition to curbside collection, other Kane County Recycling Programs diverted the following tonnages:
 

Electronics and Books Collections: 450 tons refurbished, reused, or recycled

• 848,336 lbs (424 tons) of electronic equipment (TVs, Computers & peripheries, appliances, etc)
• 46,360 pounds (23+ tons) of Books (hard cover and paperback)
• 6,000 pounds (3 tons) of cardboard
• Over 100,000 pieces of individual media (CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes, VCR tapes, and floppy discs)
• Over 8,000 household served

Household Hazardous Waste: over 47 tons diverted, recycled or responsibly disposed

• 58,500 pounds (nearly 30 tons) collected from 475 households in the northern six townships
• 34,500 pounds (17 tons) delivered to Naperville HHW facility from 2138 residents of Kane County

Compost bins sold:

• Over 50 Earth Machine Compost bins sold, diverting even more organic waste from the landfill through backyard composting!

Benefits of Recycling

Our efforts have helped eliminate the need for 14 new landfills in Illinois over the past 20 years, saving more than 2,400 acres of land from becoming permanent dumping grounds for our garbage. Paper recycling in Kane County alone saves the equivalent of 70,000 trees each year. Recycling in Kane County also eliminates more than 5,000 tons of air pollutants and 800 tons of water pollution each year.