Norma Kassanitz of Aurora took a trip to the far East Side of the city on Saturday in an effort to continue some spring cleaning.
“I’ve come to some recycling efforts here before, but not with electronics,” she said during the city of Aurora’s free four-hour drive-thru electronics recycling event in the parking lot at the Route 59 train station. “I’m really happy about this but I know the routine: Get here early. Look at all the stuff people are getting rid of. It’s springtime and spring cleaning.”
City officials said the exponential growth of the recycling effort made the largely empty train station parking lot the perfect place for residents to drop off old electronic items.
“We do one of these efforts every spring and fall and they are jam-packed,” said Aurora Chief Communications and Equity Officer Clayton Muhammad. “A couple of years ago, we had 1,500 people and then increased it to 2,000 and this year it’s 2,500 people. You have to sign up and show your ID that you’re an Aurora resident but people hold on to these electronics for each of the recycling efforts. They’re not dumping them in the streets or the garbage dump.”
Muhammad said the people dropping off electronics are “in and out in a matter of minutes.”
“People can drop off their two free TVs. Every other recycling around here costs something like $25 per TV – that’s $50 people can save and it goes to buy eggs, or gas or groceries,” he said. “We offer this as a free service to the community.”
He said there is a reason why there is a cap on the number of people who can take part in the recycling event.
“There’s a financial cost to it, but we have been able to incrementally increase those numbers each year,” he said. “This is the biggest one we have done.”
The city contracted with A-Team Recyclers out of Shorewood for the event.
John Hohm of Aurora admitted that for him, Saturday’s trek to the train station wasn’t as convenient as he lives on the far West Side of the city, but that the load in the back of his truck made the trip worth it.
“I always recycle everything I can,” Hohm said. “I do everything – cardboard, glass, paper – you name it. I have a pretty good load but with the kids – three have electronics and a bunch of stuff – it’s great to get it recycled.”
Chenise Creggett of Aurora said this was the first time she came to the recycling event and brought “just a TV and some old phones.”
“I like that the city cares these things don’t wind up in a landfill,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
