Metals and Electronics Drive
The wonders of modern appliances and fixtures have brought with them some problems which deal with disposal of discarded items.
That new refrigerator or freezer or Air Conditioner is a sight to behold and so much more efficient than the old one. But what about the
Freon that was used to cool the old one? 
And what do we do with the metal?
Freon spilled on the ground is considered a hazardous waste by the Environmental Protection Agency. It must be removed and disposed of so
that the groundwater will not be contaminated. That's where we come in.
The first Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful Metals and Electronics Drive was held in September of 1998. Response was tremendous with over 225 people from Winnebago, Boone, Stephenson and Rock Counties participating. Over 40,000 pounds of old appliances, electronics and metal items were collected. Now we schedule two collection dates annually to keep these no longer used items from winding up in the landfill.
The two Metals Drives held in 2009, saw over 1,767 people from the Stateline area drop off water heaters, washers, dryers, grills, phones, lawnmowers, stoves and more. Over 150 volunteers unloaded almost 97 tons of materials to trucks that could not keep up with the in-flow.
Recently we have expanded our coverage to include no longer used electronics items such as video recorders, computer equipment including the CPU, monitor, keyboard and mouse. There is approximately four pounds of lead in each computer monitor which must be safely removed and processed to keep it from contaminating our safe drinking water supply. In addition, 100% of the components of each computer are recycled. We recycled almost 500 computer monitors in 2009.
These charges are necessary to remove harmful chemicals from these items and make them safe for recycling.
| Refrigerators/Freezers | $10 |
| Air Conditioners | $10 |
| Propane Tanks | $10 |
| DeHumidifiers | $10 |
TV's WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
This is a volunteer intensive project. If you would like to participate in keeping Northern Illinois beautiful and safe, call (815) 637-1343 for information on how you can help.