Metals and Electronics Drive
The wonders of modern appliances and fixtures have brought with them some problems which deal with disposal of discarded items.
That new refrigerator or freezer or Air Conditioner is a sight to behold and so much more efficient than the old one. But what about the
Freon that was used to cool the old one? 
And what do we do with the metal?
Freon spilled on the ground is considered a hazardous waste by the Environmental Protection Agency. It must be removed and disposed of so
that the groundwater will not be contaminated. That's where we come in.
The first Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful Metals and Electronics Drive was held in September of 1998. Response was tremendous with over 225 people from Winnebago, Boone, Stephenson and Rock Counties participating. Over 40,000 pounds of old appliances, electronics and metal items were collected. Now we schedule two collection dates annually to keep these no longer used items from winding up in the landfill.
The most recent Metals Drive, held in May 2007, was truly overwhelming. Over 700 people from the Stateline area dropped off water
heaters, washers, dryers, grills, phones, lawnmowers, stoves and more. The 62 volunteers unloaded over 60 tons of materials to trucks that
could not keep up with the in-flow. More recently we have expanded our coverage to include no longer used electronics items such as video
recorders, computer equipment including the CPU, monitor, keyboard and mouse. There is approximately four pounds of lead in each computer
monitor which must be safely removed and processed to keep it from contaminating our safe drinking water supply. In addition, 100% of the
components of each computer are recycled.
In October, 2006, we recycled 51 refrigerators and freezers and 95 computer monitors, collecting a total of over 128,500 pounds of recyclable metals and electronics. This is a volunteer intensive project. If you would like to participate in keeping Northern Illinois beautiful and safe, call (815) 637-1343 for information on how you can help.