By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

January 15, 2016 10:46:22 PM

FAIRMONT CITY (Scrap Monster): Will County officials said they might have to close several of the county's 12 permanent electronic recycling sites this year, now that its longtime recycler wants out of its contract.

After topping 4 million pounds for the first time through November, Vintage Tech wants out of its contract with the county, a pact good through 2017, claiming that it cannot make enough money.

With costs of recycling rising, the Will County firm was not able to bid low enough to get recycling contracts from manufacturers, who ultimately pay for recycling costs, said Marta Keane, of Will County's Resource Recovery and Energy Division.

The intent of state legislation, passed last year, was to have electronics manufacturers pay for recycling, not local governments or residents, but some recyclers are underbidding — finding loopholes and charging for things they are not supposed to, Keane said.

"Vintage Tech has been doing it right and meeting the intent of the law," she said, but it can no longer afford to service the county.

The company wants to end its service in February, forcing the county to seek another firm to haul away the electronics. It costs about $20 to $30 to recycle a television (TVs are the bulk of electronic waste), and there is little to no value in its parts, Keane said.

She said the new law also allows the cathode ray tube (CRT) glass found in older TVs, which is heavy and difficult to recycle, to go to a center in Peoria. Vintage Tech was hoping to contract with more manufacturers by taking CRT glass there, but manufacturers balked at that, claiming that it was cheaper to ship it to foreign countries, Keane said.

Under the new state law, electronics manufacturers are required to recycle or reuse a total of 49.6 million pounds of electronics per year, with specific amounts assigned to each company by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Once they meet their goal, usually before the end of the year, the companies no longer want to pay for recycling, passing the cost on to recycling firms or local governments.

Keane said surrounding counties also have closed some electronic recycling facilities, which likely caused their residents to drop off more items in Will County, which is considering limiting its centers to residents only.

Keane said Vintage Tech, which is in Plainfield, will likely be replaced by a company much farther away, possibly out of state, which also means a loss of Will County jobs.

It's unknown how many of the county's 12 permanent recycling sites will stay open until bids are returned later this month, she said. A 13th site in Homer Glen closed this fall.

To keep costs down, the new recycling firm likely will not want to travel to a dozen different sites and would prefer sites that are equipped to load a semi-trailer truck, Keane said, adding that only three of the county's sites meet that criteria — Mokena, Lockport and Troy Township.

To make electronics recycling more affordable for recycling firms, Keane said the county has considered paying its local government partners, which it does not pay now, as much as $2,500 per year to pay staffing costs. The county now offers them grants up to $500 for site improvements.

The government personnel now handle phone calls and maintain the recycling centers but may be needed to stack and shrink-wrap electronics on pallets or have a forklift available to load them onto semi trucks.

Will County wants to make electronic recycling convenient for its residents, but if manufacturers are not doing their part, then the county funds it all or residents fund it — "someone has to fund it or TVs will end up in a ditch," said Nick Palmer, chief of staff for County Executive Larry Walsh, during a discussion on the issue during a recent meeting of the County Board's Legislative Committee.

"It's a screwed-up law. It will have to be changed dramatically," Brent Hassert, the county's legislative lobbyist in Springfield, told the committee.

Keane said she's studying the laws in 25 other states that require manufacturers to pay all electronic recycling costs. At the very least, she hopes to increase the weight of electronics that the companies now must pay for.

Courtesy: www.chicagotribune.com