Recycling Round-up, as published in the Northwest Herald, August 12, 2008

 What Can I Do with my Old Electronics?

By John Niziolek II and Pat Dieckhoff

What are the types of electronics that can be recycled at Computer Recycling Center? We accept almost all types of electronic items. The accepted items list really is too long to note them all. Some of them include: computers, monitors (they must be intact), printers, scanners, PDA, cell phones, stereos, VCRS, DVD Players, Vacuum cleaners (lint bag must be removed), microwaves (cleaned out-no food), blender bases (glass can be locally recycled), drills, fans, calculators, TV’s, garage door openers, studio mixing boards, amplifiers, alternators, generators, starters, batteries (home, auto, commercial), aluminum cans. Well, you get the picture. Basically if it’s metal, plastic and circuit board, we’ll get the job done. 

We do not accept older appliances with wooded or pressboard cases. We can accept the guts but not the case.  Other items that we do not accept at this time are white appliances (ovens, refrigerators, etc…) and any product with a biohazard warning (needles, kidney dialysis machines, etc…) 

What happens to electronics when I take them to your recycling center? We try to reuse all products first. If a unit and be reused, we feel that it’s the best use. Older computers may even be used in different manners such as a DVR, a file server, or a Linux firewall.  Many items are resold or donated. Items that cannot be repaired for reuse or items that are too old for reuse are de-manufactured and the materials are reclaimed.  

Are TVs recycled differently than computers? The answer is yes in most cases. Smaller TV’s can be recycled in a standard computer monitor (CRT) processing machine. The problem is that most TV’s are larger and won’t fit in the basic machine. Another problem is that the plastic case is a different material.  Unfortunately , plastic isn’t just plastic. There are many different types. There also seems to be more unique types of TV’s versus monitors. For instance, we know what type of plastic comes from a 15” Dell monitor. When we receive a TV, it can be any type of plastic and additional man hours are required to determine the type of plastic and to sort it accordingly.    

Are there any costs for recycling electronics?  No, except there is a charge for computer monitors and TVs.  Monitors up to 21” are $5.00 and monitors that are 22” or larger and TV’s are $.50/lb.  New Computer Recycling Center website is under construction at www.computerrecyclingcenter.net 

If I don’t take my files off the computer before I bring it to the recycling center, how can I be assured that no one will access my information? We offer data destruction services. If it is noted at the time of drop off, we can destroy the data for an $8.00 charge. 

     John Niziolek II is the owner of Computer Recycling Center and Echelon in Crystal Lake.  Pat Dieckhoff is the Waste Reduction Specialist for the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at MCC.

      Listings for other places to recycle electronics and computers locally are in the new Green Guide ’08 Recycling Directory for McHenry County, available online at www.mchenry.edu/recycling. Copies are also available through the following groups and at some local village halls and libraries. 

     The Recycling Round-up is a cooperative effort of the McHenry County Planning and Development Department (815) 334-4560, the Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute at MCC (815) 479-7817, the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County (815) 338-0393 and the Algonquin Township Road District.  Please contact any of these groups with your recycling questions.