Where can I get rid of E Waste?

Converter boxes, cable and satellite receivers, and televisions are not allowed in your garbage under the Illinois E Waste Landfill ban. However, some office supply and electronic stores are also drop off locations for these banned items.

Corded phones can be placed in your regular garbage. Cell phones do not belong in garbage or recycling carts. Cell phones have lithium-ion batteries that can start fires at landfills and garbage transfer locations.  Some office supply and electronics department stores offer on-site recycling drop-offs.

Lithium, rechargeable, and button batteries are hazardous waste and should never be disposed of in your curbside garbage or recycling programs. Placing lithium batteries in your curbside bins at home puts collection crews at risk. They are the leading cause of truck fires in the garbage and recycling industry. Many electronic and hardware stores offer drop-off locations to ensure proper recycling. Alkaline batteries are okay to put in your trash but should not be placed in your recycling cart. That being said, recycling is still an option. Many electronic and hardware stores will accept both alkaline and lithium batteries to ensure proper recycling.

Under the Illinois E Waste Landfill ban, it is illegal to place computer equipment and computers in your garbage. This includes mouse and keyboards, printers, scanners, fax machines, laptops, tablets, computer towers, and monitors. Some office supply and electronic department stores will accept E Waste.

CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are hazardous waste and do not belong in your weekly trash or recycling program. These bulbs contain mercury and pose a safety risk to both the environment and disposal workers. Thankfully, many local home improvement stores offer CFL recycling programs. Please call your local home improvement stores for details. Older incandescent light bulbs are safe to dispose of in your regular garbage cart.

CD’s, DVD’s, and their cases are not a part of our e waste recycling program and can be placed in your curbside garbage container. If you would like to recycle your discs, many libraries and electronic stores will accept used CD’s and DVD’s.

DVD players and cassette players are banned from landfills under the Illinois E Waste Landfill Ban. Thankfully, there are some common local drop off locations. Some office supply and electronic stores offer e waste recycling programs.

Under the Illinois E Waste Landfill Ban, controllers and video game consoles are banned from your curbside garbage program. Some office supply and electronic stores offer e waste drop of locations for these types of items. Additionally, many thrift stores, hospitals, and nursing homes will accept donations. Please contact a local business or the Illinois EPA for more details.

Speakers, stereo equipment, and portable music players are no longer accepted in landfills under the Illinois E Waste Landfill ban. For more details, please contact a local office supply store, electronics store, or the Illinois EPA.