Abt Electronics’ Earth Day E-Waste Recycling Drive

Our commitment to helping the environment is one of the things we’re most proud of here at Abt. From our on-site recycling center to green methods of energy production, we always try to go above and beyond what’s expected if it helps make the world a little bit greener and cleaner. With Earth Day just around the corner, we’d like to take the opportunity to make it easier for our local community to be environmentally-friendly, with our second annual E-Waste Recycling Day, taking place on April 22nd.

Electronic Waste is a problem that’s growing around the world, as more people buy new electronics and dispose of their old products. In 2010, consumers in the U.S. disposed of 2.4 million tons of electronic waste. Computers and computer monitors and peripherals made up about half the total. Also included in that total were an estimated 152,000,000 mobile devices. Essentially, 1 of every 2 people in the USA disposed of a cell phone, pager, or PDA in 2010. The worst bit of information about these stats is that just 27% of the total disposed E-Waste was recycled. The rest ended up in landfills, where dangerous elements like lead, cadmium, and mercury can leak out of the products and into the earth, potentially contaminating the groundwater supply and causing serious health risks.

On April 22nd, Abt and the City of Chicago are joining forces for our 2nd Annual Earth Day E-Waste Recycling Drive, which will help our local customers properly dispose of their unneeded electronics with minimal effort. While we always welcome drop-offs of e-waste and old appliances at our Recycling Center in Glenview, that can be quite a haul for our more distant customers. The Earth Day Recycle Drive brings drop-off locations out into the community for hassle-free recycling.

In addition to our store at 1200 N. Milwaukee Ave in Glenview, here are the e-waste drop-off locations:

•  Chicago Center for Green Technology (445 N. Sacramento Blvd., Chicago) – 5am-11am
•  Agassiz Elementary School (2851 N. Seminary Ave., Chicago) – 6:30am-10am
•  Sulzer Regional Library (4455 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago) – 7am-6pm
•  Woodson Regional Library (9525 S. Halsted St., Chicago) – 7am-6pm
•  Austin Branch Library (5615 W. Race Ave., Chicago) – 7am-6pm

Chicagoans can bring their old products to any of these locations during the times listed and we’ll transport them back to our Recycling Center to be sorted and recycled. The first 100 participants at each location will receive an Abt t-shirt made from recycled materials and a gift certificate for a discount on a future purchase. So if you’ve been planning on buying a new TV or computer and getting rid of an old one, this can be a great way to be responsible and save some money.

Any of the following items will be accepted during the e-waste drive:

•  Electronics (computers, monitors, hard copy devices, keyboards & mice, TVs, mobile devices)
•  Batteries, toner & ink cartridges
•  Appliances (microwaves, refrigerators, dishwashers, etc. including countertop and vacuums)
•  White Styrofoam (no peanuts)
•  Wood pallets (must be intact)
•  No glass, no light bulbs

For more information on the Earth Day E-Waste Drive or our normal Recycling Center services, give us a call at 888-228-5800. Also, keep your eye on the Abt Facebook page for more info on the upcoming Earth Day Celebration, which will take place at Abt on April 24.

Lastly, for all of our non-local customers who’d like to be more eco-conscious but can’t attend the E-Waste Drive, we suggest using this E-Waste Recycling Location Search tool to find a local location to properly dispose of your old electronics and appliances.