BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID;X-RICAL-TZSOURCE=TZINFO:-//com.denhaven2/NONSGML ri_cal gem//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:Cook County residents can rid their homes of unneeded electro nic devices called &ldquo\;e-waste&rdquo\; &ndash\; including computers\ , video game consoles\, VCRs\, and cell phones &ndash\; in an environmen tally friendly way by simply \;dropping them off at collection sites in Lemont\, and Barrington. The sites will serve as test locations for possible permanent e-waste recycling centers.\nCook County\, Delta Insti tute of Chicago and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County will par tner on two pilot events to accept e-waste drop-offs\, as follows:\n\n S aturday\, June 16: Sagawau Environmental Learning Center at 12545 W. 111 th St.\, Lemont\nSaturday\, June 23:Crabtree Nature Center at 3 Stover R d.\, Barrington\n\n \;\nCollections are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at bo th sites\, and the drop-off service is free.\n&ldquo\;Delta is pleased t o assist Cook County in testing this free resource\, with the goal to en sure that e-waste is handled in a reliable\, safe and responsible manner \,&rdquo\; says Delta CEO Jean Pogge. &ldquo\;The volume of e-waste is g rowing rapidly\, and it&rsquo\;s vital that everyone help divert these i tems from landfills and incinerators.&rdquo\;\nCook County Board Preside nt Toni Preckwinkle said providing permanent e-waste recycling centers i s a top county priority.\nWith the assistance of the Delta Institute and the Forest Preserve District\, we plan to establish convenient drop-off sites so our residents can easily dispose of their old electronics\,&rd quo\; she said. &ldquo\;We know that our residents are looking for ways to recycle and\, in keeping with thecounty&rsquo\;s commitment to sustai nability\, we will provide them with numerous options in the near future .&rdquo\;\nThe State of Illinois&rsquo\; Electronic Products Recycling a nd Reuse Act\, which took effect at the start of this year\, makes it il legal to dispose of electronics in landfills\, leading Cook County to wo rk with Delta Institute in exploring the viability of establishing area e-waste drop-off sites. E-waste contains heavy metals that can harm the environment\, including lead\, mercury\, hexavalent chromium and cadmium \, by leaking into and contaminating groundwater.\nElectronics also cont ain valuable products that can be reused\, including plastic\, tin/lead solder and other materials\, thus conserving natural resources\, reducin g water pollution and energy use\, and reducing air pollution associated with greenhouse gas emissions.\nE-waste items eligible for drop-off at the pilot events include personal desktop and laptop computers\; servers \; printers\; CRT and LCD monitors\; televisions\; computer cables\, mic e\, and keyboards\; fax machines\, MP3 players\, portable digital assist ants (PDAs)\, video game consoles\,videocassette recorders (VCRs)\, remo te controls (these take alkaline batteries\, which must be removed) vide o disk players\, zip drives\, scanners\, cell phones and chargers.\nType writers and televisions with wood casing will not be accepted at the e-w aste pilot sites\, along with home appliances including stoves\, refrige rators\, vacuum \; cleaners\, microwave ovens\, electric can openers and blenders. Instead\, residents should either contact ComEd or their municipal waste department for handling.\nManaging recycling for the pil ot events is USMe of Chicago (www.usm-e.com)\, which has earned special international\,federal and industry certifications\, and carries state a nd city of Chicago licenses and permits. The company employs strict proc edures designed to ensure that electronic hard-case materials are proper ly disposed of or reused\, and thatcomputers are properly de-manufacture d and information stored on hard drives is destroyed.\nFor additional in formation about e-waste &ndash\; including a complete list of e-waste ma terials accepted at the pilot collection sites &ndash\; please visit www .delta-institute.org.\nThe U.S. Department of Energy&rsquo\;s Energy Eff iciency Conservation Block Grant provided funding for the E-Waste projec t\, through Cook County&rsquo\;s Department of Environmental Control. URL:http://barrington-il.patch.com/events/e-waste-recycling-and-a-day-in- nature SUMMARY:E-Waste Recycling and a Day In Nature LOCATION:Crabtree Nature Center: 3 Stover Rd\, Barrington\, IL END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR