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DeKalb County Suspends Recycling Of Older TVs

Susan Stephens

DeKalb County residents will need to keep their Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions a little longer. That’s because the vendor who collects them can’t take them anymore.

The problem they’re facing is that they have taken the maximum amount of televisions and will suspend the collection until they can catch up.

Michelle Gibson is a specialist with DeKalb County Solid Waste. She says the problem is not in the recycling.  It is in the disposal of some of the components.

“The major issue is that, although the metals within the TVs are recyclable, the CRT glass contains lead, and they don’t have an outlet for that yet.”

Gibson says, the program is still accepting flatscreen TVs.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is holding a hearing July 29thin Springfield to get input from the public on proposed changes to the state's electronic recycling laws.  Changes include allowing CRT glass into landfills. The public can also comment by mail or email by October 1st.