OGLE COUNTY — In response to overwhelming attendance and volumes of electronics received at recent recycling events, the Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department is implementing some changes in the procedures to attend these events.
The next Electronics Recycling Event and subsequent events will now have a limit of 250 county households, will require pre-registration, and will have a strict limit of five items per household.  These changes are to insure the safety of workers and participants at the events and to reduce the wait times for those attending.
The next Residential Electronics Recycling event will be held on Friday, Aug. 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the county annex building at 909 Pines Road in Oregon. The parking lot will open at 9 a.m. for residential electronic recycling.  OCSWMD staff requests that people do not arrive early.
To register for this event please call or email the OCSWMD by noon on Aug. 26 (or the Wednesday before the event) to request a free Electronics Recycling Permit. Information needed: your name, address, town, and email. Requests received after this time or when the 250 permit limit has been filled, will have the option to be registered for the next monthly event. A permit will be emailed or sent by mail to each approved household. Permits are limited to one residential address per month, and are valid for one specific event. Registration will be limited to Ogle County residents only, and addresses and identification will be verified.  

Participants must show their permit and identification with proof of Ogle County residency when they arrive at the event. This event is for electronic items from Ogle County residents only; residents of other Illinois counties should check with their local government or electronic retailers for electronic recycling options where they reside. People without a valid permit will be denied service.
“All of these changes were necessary to insure the safety of our staff and workers at these events,” stated OCSWMD Director Steve Rypkema. “We had over 350 cars at each of our last two collection events and we just couldn’t keep up with that many cars and the volume of TVs and other electronics people are bringing in.  People were lined up an hour before we began, so we struggled to catch up.  We are hoping these changes will result in safer, more efficient events.”
The Illinois Consumer Electronics Recycling Act limits the number of electronic items accepted up to seven, however, the OCSWMD will now only allow up to five items to be brought in for recycling.  Accepted electronic items which are counted each as one item include all televisions, computer monitors, computer towers, laptop computers, printers, FAX machines, scanners, electric typewriters, DVD/VCR players, cable or satellite receivers, stereo equipment, video game consoles, and microwave ovens, which are $5 per microwave.
Smaller items such as computer cables, e-mice, keyboards, tablets, cell phones, home phones, calculators, digital clocks, rechargeable batteries, CFL bulbs and printer cartridges may be bulked together and will count as one item in the total of five accepted items. Please check with the OCSWMD to verify what items are accepted and what is not accepted if you are unsure.
The OCSWMD commends residents for their recycling efforts, but states that these changes are needed due to record turnouts, long lines of vehicles on the roadway, and limitations of County resources to handle increasing volumes of electronics the last two months.  
“We are happy that people want to recycle so much, but with our limited staff and workers, COVID-19 restrictions, and the large numbers of people attending the event, we had to change the way we run the event. It’s about safety, and we that hope people understand and adapt to the new ways of participating in these events,” said Rypkema.
Call 815-732-4020 or email the OCSWMD at solidwaste@oglecounty.org to register for the Aug. 28 or future electronics recycling events, and check the county website at www.oglecounty.org or Facebook for more information on these important changes to this recycling program. Volunteers are always welcome, contact the OCSWMD for more information.