RESOLUTION CALLING UPON THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO REESTABLISH AND EXPAND THE RESIDENTIAL ELECTRONICS RECYCLING PILOT
PROGRAM
WHEREAS, When thrown out with our garbage, computers and other electronic waste, which often contain hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) can contaminate our air, soil, and water; and
WHEREAS, Through proper disposal methods and recycling, hazardous substances in electronic waste are reprocessed and reused in an environmentally-responsible manner; and
WHEREAS, Healthy Chicago 2.0 created the Residential Electronics Recycling Pilot Program has made it easier for Chicagoans to drop off consumer electronics, which are then recycled by the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Department of Streets and Sanitation; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago Department of Public Health's 2019 Residential Electronics Recycling Pilot Program will be coming to an end on December 27, 2019; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Public Health and the Department of Streets and Sanitation, will be meeting to review this pilot program and create an improved Residential Electronics Recycling Pilot Program for 2020; and
WHEREAS, The only current option for Chicagoans to dispose of household chemicals and recycle old computers and other electronic waste is dropping them off at the City's permanent Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility at 1150 N. North Branch St. every Tuesday and Thursday and on the first Saturday of every month; and
WHEREAS, The Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act, the State law that creates programs for electronic waste recycling, sunsets on January 1, 2020; and
WHEREAS, With the possible lapse in State programs, it is incumbent on the City to ensure that residents have options to recycle electronic wastes to safely handle hazardous substances; now, therefore,
GEORGE A. CARDENAS Alderman, 12th Ward
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this eighteenth day of December 2019, call upon the Department of Public Health to (1) reestablish the Residential Electronics Recycling Pilot Program and expand the program to permit members of the public to drop off electronic waste during normal office hours at City offices or City-owned buildings that are open to the public, (2) coordinate with each Alderman and all City Departments and sister agencies to designate a minimum number of drop-off locations in each Ward, (3) provide recycling containers and promotional materials for each drop-off location, and (4) coordinate with the Departmenjjef-Streets and Sanitation to ensure the pick-up and processing of electronic waste from each/oYop-off location.