Dec. 17--Thursday is the last day that Lake County recycling centers will accept electronics.
The service is being suspended until further notice because costs have grown prohibitive for the current operator.
That was the announcement made Tuesday at the Vernon Hills Village Board meeting and in a bulletin dated Dec. 11 from the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County that was posted on the agency's website.
David Brown, Vernon Hills director of public works, said the village cannot keep the electronics recycling available without the agency's help. The village has neither the facilities to recycle them nor the ability to ship them to someone who can.
"We have to close our operations, because we have no way to handle it," Brown said.
The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County is charged with putting programs in place that increase the reuse, recycling and composting around Lake County.
About 3.9 million pounds of electronics were recycled in 2013 in more than 40 Lake County communities, Brown said. Vernon Hills originally planned to stop taking electronics Tuesday, but extended that to Thursday after the agency's online bulletin listed the final date as Thursday.
The electronic recycling program started in 1999 and grew to become one of the biggest of its kind in Illinois, according to the bulletin. That was helped by state law that required manufacturers to pay for collecting and recycling certain devices.
However, the cost of recycling now exceeds the compensation that the state receives, according to the bulletin. The agency would need to pay $200,000 next year to continue the program and cover its costs.
Agency leaders will meet Thursday to discuss the situation and consider any possible alternatives for restarting it, according to the bulletin.
Meanwhile, residents can find other options for recycling their electronics at swalco.org.
