Online registration begins at 9 a.m. Friday for Aurora’s upcoming Fall Electronics Recycling Drive-Thru event.
To register, go to www.aurora-il.org/Electronics2024.
Registration online is mandatory to take part in the free event. The first 2,000 Aurora residents who register will secure a spot for the drive-thru, which will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Route 59 Metra Train Station, 1090 N. Route 59.
Aurora offers two free recycling drive-thru events each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Generally, once registration begins, capacity is reached in 24 hours, city officials said in a press release Thursday.
Registered residents can bring up to two television screens of any size and an unlimited amount of other approved electronics to be recycled, according to the release.
No businesses will be allowed to drop off electronics at the event, officials said.
Only approved household items and electronics will be accepted.
Electronics that will be accepted for recycling include cables, cable boxes, cameras, cash registers, cellphones, copiers, cords, DVD players, fax machines, keyboards, laptops, printers, print cartridges, projectors, radios, satellite dishes, stereos, typewriters, VCRs and video games.
Household items that will be accepted include blenders, bread makers, carpet sweepers, coffee makers, clocks, curling irons, electric knives, electric toothbrushes, fans, fryers, hair cutters, hairdryers, heaters, holiday lights, irons, landline phones, metal tools, mixers, remotes, shaving equipment, toaster ovens and vacuum cleaners (without bags).
Items that will not be accepted include large appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, washers, dryers), batteries of any type, air conditioners, ballasts, bare CRT tubes, capacitors, carbon monoxide detectors, dehumidifiers, light bulbs, liquids, microwaves, salvaged units, smoke detectors, VHS cassette tapes, wood speakers and medical equipment (any material that is considered or has come in contact with biohazard or radioactive material).
At the event last spring, nearly 30 tons of electronic waste was recycled including almost 1,800 television sets of all sizes, makes and models, officials said.
E-waste often ends up in landfills, where it can take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose, officials said in the release. This poses environmental and health risks, according to officials, because when e-waste decomposes, it releases toxic substances into the environment, contaminating soil, water and air.