Illinois Program Awards Grants for E-Scrap Recycling

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has awarded more than $550,000 in Opportunity Returns grants to help boost recycling goals in the Chicago area. The grants are administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and come as a part of Opportunity Returns, a regional economic development strategy designed to create more jobs and spur growth in the state.

The grant money follows Gov. Blagojevich’s signing of a legislative initiative, House Bill 1149, which addressed the problem of disposing of electronic equipment. The initiative created the Computer Equipment Disposal and Recycling Commission, which is making recommendations to solve the e-scrap issue in the state. The grant program focuses on the development and expansion of permanent collection and processing facilities that handle end-of-life computers and other electronics. More than $470,000 is being awarded to organizations in Northeast Illinois to address the issue.

Digital Workforce Education Society, Chicago, a not-for-profit organization, has been awarded a $73,900 grant to expand and enhance the organization’s electronic equipment refurbishing, de-manufacturing, and recycling program. Grant funds will be used to purchase vehicles to collect and transport computer systems, a forklift to move computers within an expanded processing facility, shelving to stage equipment, security fencing, collection containers, an inventory database tracking system, a baler to consolidate recyclable commodities, pay for project-related promotion and education costs, and pay for training costs. The grantee will also partner with the Illinois Department of Human Service’s "Team Illinois" initiative to bring significant technology improvement into areas of Illinois with high poverty levels, including Pembroke Township in Kankakee County. DWES expects to process an additional 1,000 tons of discarded electronic equipment, doubling its current annual volume.

Gallagher Businesses, Inc., operator of the franchised business "Cartridge World" in Chicago, was awarded a $50,000 grant to expand its retail business operations to include accepting obsolete electronic equipment for recycling. It will offer an electronic equipment pickup service. Grant funds will be used to purchase recycling collection containers, a recycling collection vehicle, and pay for project-related promotion and advertising efforts. The project is expected to divert 17.67 tons of material, more than tripling the annual amount of electronic discards currently collected by this business.

PC Rebuilders, Chicago, partners with the not-for-profit organization, Computers for Schools, to distribute refurbished computers to schools, libraries, teachers, and not-for-profit service organizations. They have been awarded a $62,201 grant to expand and enhance their computer de-manufacturing and refurbishing capabilities. Grant funds will be used to purchase a hard drive disk sanitizer, a disk duplicator, pallets, a scale, a tracking system, a truck, and pay for costs associated with site improvements, training, and advertising of the recycling program.

River Shannon Recycling of Riverdale currently collects and recycles universal waste (e.g., fluorescent lamps) generated by businesses. It has been awarded two grants to expand its services to include the collection and processing of old, obsolete and unwanted electronics.

River Shannon Recycling was awarded $48,175 in grant funds for its electronics collection project in order to advance its recycling collection capabilities. In addition to establishing a permanent drop-off site at its facility for area residents and businesses, an "on-site" collection of old, obsolete and end-of-life electronic equipment from businesses and other organizations will be offered. Grant funds will be used to purchase recycling collection vehicles, recycling collection containers, pallet jacks, storage trailers, and pay for project-related promotion and education costs. This project is estimated to collect an additional 400 tons of electronic discards each year.

To help expand and enhance the organization’s abilities to process and recycle electronic equipment captured by its increased collection efforts, the company has been awarded a $49,815 grant. Grant funds will be used to purchase a forklift, bobcat, shredder and hydraulic processing unit. This project is estimated to process the additional 400 tons of electronic discards captured annually by the company’s recycling collection efforts.

Supply-Chain Services, Inc. of Lombard has been awarded a $75,000 grant to expand and enhance their electronic equipment de-manufacturing and recycling capabilities and capacity. Grant funds will be used to purchase a baler with a conveyor system, security fencing, and pay for project-related promotion and advertisement. The project is anticipated to allow the company to process an additional 1,920 tons of electronic discards annually.

United Recycling Industries, Inc. of West Chicago, one of the largest electronics recyclers in the nation, has been awarded a $64,822 grant to expand and enhance their processing capacity and capabilities. Grant funds will be used to purchase a baler and pay for project-related site improvements. While currently processing more than 17,000 tons of electronic discards yearly, they expect that this project will allow them to process at least 2,000 additional tons annually - more than a 10 percent increase. This project is also expected to lead to the creation of two full time jobs.

Vintage Tech Recyclers, Inc., Plainfield, was awarded a $46,107 grant to advance their recycling collection capabilities. In addition to establishing a permanent drop-off site at their facility for area residents and businesses, they will offer "on-site" collection of old, obsolete, and end-of-life electronic equipment from businesses and other organizations. Grant funds will be used to purchase a recycling collection vehicle, a forklift, pallet racks, and pay for project-related promotion and education costs. This project is expected to annually divert 229 tons of electronic scrap for reuse and recycling.

In addition to programs to boost e-scrap recycling, the grant program has awarded money to several programs for more traditional recycling programs.

Columbia College of Chicago received a $30,548 grant to expand traditional recycling collection efforts throughout a campus that occupies 16 buildings and comprises 1.3 million square feet of space in Chicago’s South Loop area. Grant funds will be used to purchase recycling collection containers and pay for project-related promotion and education material. The project is anticipated to divert an additional 25 tons of recyclable commodities.

The Village of Carol Stream was awarded a $50,000 grant to assist in the implementation of a single-stream recycling collection program. Grant funds will be used to help purchase 9,500 large wheeled recycling collection containers that will replace the 20 gallon bins that are currently being used in the Village’s dual-stream recycling program. The single-stream system is expected to increase recycling by up to 20 percent in the village.