Illinois Breaks Ground on Electronics Recycling Center

Officials from the Illinois Department of the Environment, the Chicago’s Office of Workforce Development and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity jointly announced the start of construction on the new Goose Island Hazardous and Household Waste Recycling Facility.

The 12,770 square foot structure will serve the City as a central drop-off point for electronics and other potentially hazardous waste, and by housing a training facility for ex-offenders living in Chicago.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has awarded a $975,000 grant through DCEO and the Governor's Opportunity Returns program, an aggressive and comprehensive statewide job creation program. Over $2.8 million in additional funding to develop the facility has been provided through partnerships with the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and Chicago's Tax Increment Financing program.

"This facility will allow residents a safe and convenient means of disposing of electronics and hazardous household waste, " said Sadhu Johnston, DOE commissioner. "We can improve the quality of our environment by keeping these materials out of landfills and preparing them for reuse or recycling while reducing toxics in our homes and neighborhoods."

Once complete, the facility will have the capacity to divert up to 500 tons of obsolete and out of date electronics from area landfills, and expects to divert another 500 tons of discarded batteries. The proliferation of cell phones and computers, coupled with their increasingly shorter lifespans, has made electronics waste the fastest growing segment of refuse in the United States. In addition to the collection and management of these potentially hazardous materials, the facility will also repair and recycle computers through a unique program.

Through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections, MOWD has developed a training program that will utilize the new Goose Island facility to train area ex-offenders in electronics recycling. The 11-week program will provide this traditionally hard-to-serve population with training, internships, and job placement assistance in this growth industry. Computers recycled through the facility and program will then be made available to area schools, non-profit groups and low-income families.