Recycling in Illinois – The State of Illinois has seen much development of legislation regulating the disposal of electronics equipment by its residents.

Recycling in Illinois

The State of Illinois has seen much development of legislation regulating the disposal of electronics equipment by its residents. Just over two years ago, most residents had to pay for a recycler to take their old equipment off their hands. As a result, many people would store their old CRT televisions in a basement or garage until they were forced to deal with them. In 2010, the “Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act” provided free recycling of specific types of equipment for Illinois residents. Many municipalities began to partner with electronics recyclers to host electronics collection drives where residents could bring their items for recycling. In 2011, the law was improved to expand the types of equipment that would be eligible for free recycling. In addition to televisions, printers, monitors, computers, laptops, and MP3 players, residents are now able to recycle their old scanners, satellite and cable receivers, digital converter boxes, and more. One thing, however, that the Illinois law had previously failed to address was any penalty for residents who were still discarding their equipment in the garbage. Well, that has all officially changed. Beginning January 1, 2012, another stipulation of the law prohibits landfills from accepting any electronics devices for disposal. In addition, any resident who mixes electronics with their municipal waste subjects themselves to a $25 fine for a first-time offense, and a $50 fine for subsequent offenses.

What About Businesses?

Prior to the calendar turning to 2012, the “Electronics Products Recycling and Reuse Act” applied strictly to residents. However, the landfill ban applies to both residents and businesses. And since businesses are not afforded the same legal right as residents for free recycling services, many companies will have to develop new procedures to remain in compliance. They will have to find extra funds in an already thin budget to ensure that this equipment is managed and disposed of properly (unless the equipment has residual value, then disposal may be a revenue stream!). In addition to any potential fines for violating the landfill ban (which are much higher for businesses than for residents), companies face potential fines from the EPA for improper disposal, as well as penalties for lack of data security associated with hard drive disposal, and for violation of other Federal regulations (Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, etc.). Most companies would agree that disposing of equipment in a responsible manner is the right thing to do. The problem is that when it becomes a cost for businesses to do the right thing, often they choose to be green in another way.