Unfortunately, we have to end our obsolete media reuse and recycling program at the Fabyan Parkway location, effective August 19th, 2024. Residents are encouraged to donate commercial CDs and DVDs in playable condition to thrift stores. For items without reuse value, residents can consider using GreenDisk - a mail in service for recycling of old media items.
Accepted Items
Kane County has two "electronics and more" recycling centers open year-round located in Batavia and West Dundee. We also have a frequent pop-up collection in Aurora. Finally, there is a drop-off site just for electronics in Elburn. Please scroll down for recycling costs, addresses, open hours, map & directions.
Summary information about item acceptance is below, but please see
this PDF menu (updated October 2024) for full detail.
Accepted at Batavia & West Dundee Centers + Aurora pop-ups:
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Electronics*
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Clothing and home textiles
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Shoes and clothing accessories
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Books (soft and hardcover)
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Paper and shredded paper (residential quantities)**
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Corrugated cardboard (residential quantities)**
*Several common household electronic items are banned from landfills in Illinois by the Consumer Electronic Recycling Act (CERA). Devices currently prohibited from being accepted in trash are computers (laptop and desktop), computer monitors (all technology types), computer keyboards & mice, televisions (all technology types), fax machines, printers, scanners, VCRs, DVD players, portable digital music players, video game consoles, cable boxes, satellite receivers, digital converter boxes, and small scale (non-commercial) servers. All of these devices are accepted at all Kane County Recycling Centers. Batavia and West Dundee accept additional electronics not covered by the law - see a comprehensive list here.
**NOTE, Nov. 2023: Due to logistical constraints and weak market prices, our centers cannot accept large quantities of cardboard or mixed paper from businesses. If you work for a business near one of our centers and need an outlet for cardboard, eWorks, the County's recycling center partner, may be able to offer a low-or-no-cost solution. Please call (217) 364-7472 for information.
Additionally accepted at Batavia/Fabyan Parkway only:
- Ink jet cartridges (self-service kiosk)
- Dry art and school supplies (no liquids, gels or clay-type material) (self-service kiosk)
- Eyeglasses and hearing aids (no eyeglass cases please) (self-service kiosk)
- Multi-beverage holders including can-top holders and traditional ring-style holders (self-service kiosk)
- Metal appliances that do not contain refrigerants (e.g., washers, driers, dishwashers, stoves, hot water heaters)
- Scrap metal
- Aerosol cans, empty or part-full (see
Flat Can Recycling's guidance for acceptance limits); fee applies - see below
- Small (<16oz.) propane tanks; fee applies - see below
- Isobutane canisters; fee applies - see below
- New, Fall 2024: Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; fee applies - see below
- New, Fall 2024: Kid gear! Child car seats, strollers, high chairs ; fees apply - see below
- New, Fall 2024: Ride-in toy cars, both low-tech (e.g. Little Tykes push cars) and battery powered (e.g. Power Wheels); fees applies - see below
The LRS site in Elburn only accepts the following electronics, and no other materials:
Cable boxes, Cell phones, Computers (laptop, desk top, tablet etc.), Computer cables, Computer keyboards, Computer mice, Digital converter boxes, DVD players, Fax machines, Computer monitors, Personal digital assistants, MP3 players, Printers, Satellite receivers, Scanners, Small-scale servers, Televisions, VCRs, Video game consoles.
Costs
The following information applies to all County-operated sites
and the affiliate site in Elburn. The vast majority of accepted materials are free to recycle at County Centers. The following items are the only things that carry a fee to recycle.
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Monitors (all locations - all types, flat screen or glass tube) and TVs/Televisions (all locations - all types, all ages, flat screen or glass tube) have a cost to recycle. All other electronics are free to drop off.
- $25 per item for screens under 21 inches (measured diagonally)
- $35 per item for screens 21 inches or over (measured diagonally)
- Fees do not apply to items with a built-in screen (e.g. laptops, tablets, smartphones, e-readers, etc.)
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Accepted aerosol items and small (16 oz. or smaller) isobutane tanks (Batavia only): $1 per item
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Small (16 oz. or smaller) propane tanks (Batavia only): $4 per item
- Smoke and CO alarms (Batavia only): $1 per item
- Child car seats, strollers, high chairs: $15 per item
- Ride-in toy cars, low tech (no battery): $10 per item
- Ride-in toy cars, battery powered: $20 per item
How to pay:
- The attendants at Aurora, Batavia and West Dundee can take cash or card on site
- You can also
pre-pay online for Aurora, Batavia and West Dundee (please bring printed receipt)
- For the Elburn site, fees must be paid to LRS over the phone. Please call 844-633-3577.
Recycling Center Locations and Hours
Check out our interactive map of Kane County Program Locations below. Click on the "four corners" icon to open in a new browser tab.
Aurora, Ace Hardware on Lake Street
Location: Saturday Pop-up collections for electronics, clothing & shoes, books and more in the Ace Hardware parking lot at 994 N Lake Street, Aurora, IL 60506.
Many thanks to the business owner for working with us! Note: the former Aurora location at 911 N. Lake is no longer open to the public. MAP Hours/Schedule: We will have a pop-up event at this location from 9am - noon on the following first Saturdays: December 7.
Directions: If traveling north on Lake St., look for the iconic Northgate Plaza sign on the west side of the road. Use the next traffic light after the plaza entrance to turn left into the Ace Hardware lot and look for the e-Works box truck. If traveling south on Lake St., turn right into the driveway just north of the Ace Hardware sign. It is the fourth right turn after the intersection of Lake and Indian Trail. Look for the e-Works box truck.
Batavia, Fabyan Parkway (former Juvenile Justice Center)
Location: 517 E. Fabyan Parkway, Batavia, IL 60510 MAP
Directions: If traveling west on Fabyan Pkwy., turn right into the driveway about 1000 ft. past the intersection (with traffic light) with N. Raddant Rd. If traveling east on Fabyan Pkwy., turn left about 150 ft. after passing Surrey Rd. on the right. Surrey Rd. is the second right after crossing Rt. 25.
West Dundee, behind Village Dept. Public Works
Location: 900 Angle Tarn, West Dundee, IL 60118 MAP
Hours: M-F 7am-3pm (See all 2024 Holiday Closures)
Directions: If traveling north on Rt. 31, look for the intersection with Boncosky Rd. on the left. Continue about 1/3 mile and take the next left turn onto Angle Tarn.
Pass the church parking lot and turn right onto Beacon St. then take a slight left to find the Center behind the DPW building. If traveling south on Rt. 31, look for the intersection with Willow Ln. and Strom Dr. Continue about 1/2 mile and take the next right turn onto Angle Tarn. Pass the church parking lot and turn right onto Beacon St. then take a slight left to find the Center behind the DPW building.
Elburn, Electronic Waste Center
(independently operated by LRS) This site accepts the subset of electronic items that are covered by the Illinois Consumer Electronics Recycling Act. These are the items marked (E) on page 2 of the Centers Guide (Cable boxes, Cell phones, Computers (laptop, desk top, tablet etc.), Computer cables, Computer keyboards, Computer mice, Digital converter boxes, DVD players, Fax machines, Computer monitors, Personal digital assistants, MP3 players, Printers, Satellite receivers, Scanners, Small-scale servers, Televisions, VCRs, Video game consoles.) Registration Required before drop off for this location only.
Location: 1N138 Linlar Drive, Elburn, IL 60119
MAP
Hours: M-F 8:30am-2:30pm
Accepts:
Electronics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to make an appointment to drop off? Only for the LRS-operated site in Elburn. The County-operated sites are open to the public with no appointments during the posted hours.
Why is there a fee on TVs and monitors?
TV and monitor fees are the only mechanism in the Illinois Consumer Electronics Recycling Act for covering the labor costs associated with collecting and preparing electronics for transport to a recycler. The fee is paid directly to the County's contracted electronics collector, eWorks Electronic Services, Inc., a non-profit that trains and employs people with developmental disabilities. You are helping a good cause and responsibly disposing of your used electronics!
Where can I recycle TVs and monitors for free? The first place to check is with your town's contracted waste hauler. Some hauling contracts include disposal of electronics, including TVs and monitors, at no additional cost to residents. Sometimes this service is available on demand and sometimes only on certain dates. Try a search engine query with the name of your town and the name of the hauler to see if the hauler has a dedicated service page describing the services offered to your town, as this is often the case, or, give them a call. The second place to check is with your municipal government as cities and towns do sometimes hold free electronic recycling days. If we learn about these events ahead of time, we list them under "what's new" on our homepage.
Why is there a fee on aerosols, propane and butane canisters?
These fees are retained by the recycler, Flat Can Recycling, to cover the costs of can disassembly and safe disposal of any residual material.
If I drop off a computer or hard drive, how do you ensure that my personal data is safe? Kane County contracts with
eWorks Electronic Services, Inc. located in Elk Grove Village. EWorks is
R2 (Responsible Recycling) certified, which means they must meet rigorous standards for the handling of all data-containing devices. Data containing devices are kept locked up at the Recycling Centers when stored overnight. Once they are transported to eWorks in Elk Grove, the devices are separated into two streams - those intended for resale (newer devices only) and those intended for recycling. All devices and components routed for recycling have their hard drives or other data-containing components shredded. Devices selected for resale are segregated carefully at eWorks and remain in locked storage at all times. Trained technicians implement BLANCO data erasure software and the Department of Defense Standard 7-pass kill disk to completely erase existing data prior to resale. This is the process used for devices collection at all Kane County Recycling Centers and events, including the LRS-run site in Elburn.
May I drop off equipment associated with a business or office?
Yes, though with some quantity limits. We prefer all business quantity deliveries be brought to the Batavia (Fabyan Parkway) site.
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For large volumes, ongoing quantities, or specific documentation requirements, please contact eWorks (217-364-7472) for a customized quote and service program options. Businesses requiring specific documentation (itemized receipts for non-fee items, certificates of recycling/destruction, etc.) must make prior arrangements with eWorks before drop off in order to receive the documentation).
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Up to 2 pallets worth can be delivered to Batavia without prior notice.
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Anything more than 2 pallets will require that you call to make an appointment (217-364-7472).
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Identify yourself as a business (for tracking purposes) at the time of delivery (bring a business card or a tax ID #).
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You will pay the same cost for TVs and Monitors as residents do: TVs and Monitors cost $25 (under 21" measured diagonally) or $35 (21" or over). All other items are FREE to drop off.
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Businesses can pay with a credit card at the time of delivery.
