Waukegan E-Waste Guide

Let me guess. Your little tech compartment at home is quickly filling up with electronic waste. And you are wondering how you can discard e-waste without polluting the environment. The increase in electronic waste is astronomical, thanks to new devices that enter the consumer market every day. According to Earth911, the US produced 6.92 million tons of electronic waste in 2019.  And only 15% of this electronic waste went to recycling. Also, the US spent $7.49 billion on raw materials to make new electronic devices in 2019. This data shows how E-waste can be detrimental. Further, the need for you to manage your trash in Waukegan is vital. Due to the toxic nature of E-waste, it is crucial to handle and dispose of it safely and responsibly. Read on for our Waukegan E-waste guide.

What are the different types of E-waste?

Electronic waste —E-waste— are devices like home appliances and electronic consumer goods like mobile phones that you discard because they are faulty or near end life.

If you have an electrical or electronic device that you don’t need or intend to reuse in the future, that is electronic waste.

You can categorize your E-waste according to its use—

  • Lighting electrical. These include Incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes, and LED lamps, and any other electrical device.
  • Home electronics. These devices include mobile phones, computers, TVs, desktops, and any communication and entertainment electronic device.
  • Home appliances. This category includes washing machines, refrigerators, freezers, stoves, ovens, induction cookers, trash compactors, and air conditioners.
  • Gaming electronics. The entertainment and toys E-waste includes consoles, gaming laptops, keyboards, headsets, webcam, charger, cooling pads, and joysticks.
  • Office equipment. These include printers, computers, scanners, copiers, and projectors.

Waukegan e-waste guide

Benefits of E-waste recycling and management

One of the ideal ways to responsibly discard electronic waste is through recycling. Apart from reducing the amount of dump in the landfills, sustainable E-waste management like recycling offers many benefits. One of the benefits is that your electronic recycler can safely retrieve and erase your data before recycling the electronic trash. Recycling also minimizes the exploitation of virgin resources hence saving the environment. Furthermore, E-waste recycling ensures the availability of raw materials to manufacture new electronics. Additionally, sustainable electronic waste management helps preserve energy and reduce land wastage due to mining. Another thing is that electronic recycling can reduce air pollution and preserve soil and water bodies.

Is there a Waukegan E-Waste Program?

The City of Waukegan, Illinois, has an e-waste recycling program. If you have a heap of electronic trash, you can consider scheduled pick-ups by the City’s waste management. The e-waste management program in Waukegan is under SWALCO (Solid Waste Agency of Lake County) Remember, they don’t pick your e-waste along with the residential trash.  Confirm with the agency for pick and drop-off days for electronic waste. Also, you can’t put all the residential electronics in the City’s recycling dumpster.

Here is a list of all the residential electronics you can recycle with SWALCO. If the agency is not an option, you can consider take-back and donation programs. Take-back programs offer an opportunity to return obsolete electronic devices to the manufacturer for safe disposal. Many stores like Best Buy also offer electronic recycling programs for residential electronics.  Donating electronics in perfect conditions for reuse is a sustainable alternative to discard electronic waste. Another sustainable way to manage electronics waste is to hire a private hauler.

Waste management facilities can offer excellent and affordable options to discard your e-waste. If you ever need help with construction and demolition (C&D) waste, you can count on TKG Services. We provide the dumpster and also haul the debris, so you don’t have to hassle. Contact us!