Dive Brief:
- Kane County, IL, is working to encourage residents to recycle materials instead of tossing them into the garbage.
- In 2014, the county’s recycling initiative, focusing on collecting electronics, generated 11.2 million pounds of e-waste.
- In addition to e-waste collection, the county has introduced various green initiatives aimed at encouraging residents to recycle and improve sustainability.
Dive Insight:
Jennifer Jarland, the Kane County Recycles program coordinator, said: “We are getting flooded with [electronics] because of planned obsolescence. It’s a term used for the way manufacturers make products to break in two years. It’s just creating more waste.”
Electronics are banned from being disposed of at landfills. To address this problem, Kane County Recycles accepts 17 different types of e-waste.
In addition to providing e-waste recycling services, the program also includes awareness campaigns. Jarland said her most important task is to educate the public about recycling.
