Naperville Electronics Recycling Program Suspended

Record use of Naperville’s Electronics Recycling Drop-Off Center has created an unmanageable stockpile of materials unable to be processed by the company hired to recycle them and will force the suspension of the electronics recycling program effective Monday, September 21, according to a release from the city.

The City of Naperville, in partnership with DuPage County, entered into an 18-month contract with New Life Electronics Recycling in January to properly dispose of all electronics brought to the City’s 180 Fort Hill Drive regional drop-off center. New Life reported that 629,000 pounds of electronics were brought to the facility in the first four months of the contract, which is equal to 60 percent of the total volume (985,300 pounds) collected in all of 2014.

Despite recently implementing limits and bans on certain electronics, New Life has been unable to manage the overwhelming volume, and materials continue to be left unclaimed by the company at the Public Works Service Center. This leaves the City of Naperville at risk of footing the bill to have the electronics picked up and properly recycled.

“This is an extremely unfortunate situation,” said Dick Dublinski, Director of Public Works. “We are looking at potentially tens of thousands of dollars to remove electronics that are currently on site. We were happy to run the center as a convenient way for area residents to comply with the law, but the City did not sign up, nor do we have the money budgeted, to subsidize this program.”

The City of Naperville has offered a permanent electronics collection site since 2011 in response to a state law banning the disposal of electronics in landfills. The recycling of electronics dropped off at this facility was originally subsidized completely by funds collected by the state from electronics manufacturers, who by law are required to fund the cost of collecting and recycling certain electronic devices based on a percentage of products sold.

However, due to the high cost of recycling certain electronics, the funds collected by the state from manufacturers quickly became insufficient to cover recycling costs, forcing many permanent collection facilities to pay the difference or close. The City of Naperville paid approximately $7,000 per month for several months to recycle the materials until New Life Electronics Recycling independently secured funding from electronics manufacturers in January 2015 and entered into an 18-month, no-cost contract with the City and DuPage County.

Because New Life is unable to manage the unprecedented volume or schedule routine pickups, the City of Naperville will suspend the electronics recycling program effective Monday, September 21 in lieu of continuing to use tax dollars to recycle the materials.

Until Sept. 21, the Electronics Recycling Drop-Off Center will remain open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility and the acceptance of traditional curbside recycling and scrap metal will not be impacted.

City staff will continue to monitor legislative process at the state level in hopes of reinstating this service as well as seek opportunities to organize one-day collection events. In the meantime, residents will still have options to recycle electronics through participating retailers, area one-day collection events or directly through an area electronics recycler. Residents can find electronics recycling options at the following websites:

Will County: www.willcountygreen.com/greenguide/electronic.aspx

DuPage County: www.dupageco.org/EDP/Waste_Recycling_and_Energy/1549.

City staff recommends first calling sites for updated hours of operation and limits or holds on certain electronics.

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