Over on the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Blog, I wrote a post about the FREE residential electronics collection event being hosted by Champaign County (IL) tomorrow (Saturday, April 12) from 8 AM to noon at Parkland College. Click here to read that post, which includes a list of acceptable and non-acceptable items, and a phone number to call with questions. If you’re not able to attend tomorrow’s event, check out the Champaign County Electronics Recycling Guide at http://www.co.champaign.il.us/county%20RRR/recycle/recycleelectronics.pdf. This document includes a list of local businesses and the electronic devices they accept for recycling year round.
If you’re outside Champaign County in IL, see the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s list of registered electronics collectors, recyclers, and refurbishers in Illinois at http://epadata.epa.state.il.us/land/eWaste/crr-list.asp to find businesses in your area. Check the company web sites of the electronics recyclers in your area to see who is certified as R2, e-stewards, or both, and if possible, use a certified recycler. Such recyclers have been assessed by independent third parties to verify that they are in compliance with a publicly available technical specification. For more information on certification, see http://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/education/certification.cfm.
Alternatively, wherever you are located within the United States, you can visit the National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) website (http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/public/) and enter your zip code to find electronics take back and recycling programs in your area. The Sustainable Electronics Initiative also has a fact sheet listing many electronics take-back and donation options.