Macomb's Tri-County Regional Collection Facility will celebrate its ten-year anniversary next month. The facility is responsible for the collection of household electronics from eight counties in western Illinois.
Counties covered by the TCRCF:
- Fulton
- Hancock
- Henderson
- Knox
- Mercer
- McDonough
- Warren
- Schuyler
Tim Lobdell, who manages the TCRCF, said the biggest change the facility has seen in its ten-year run has been in the amount of e-waste collected.
“Our first year was close to 270,000 pounds of electronics and we’re up around 800,000 this year. Yeah we’re up around 300% over initial intakes,” Lobdell said.
Lobdell suspects the influx of e-waste is due in part to Illinois legislation from 2012 that bans the dumping of electronics into landfills. He expects to see a plateau in volume in the next few years as the current system of electronics disposal becomes more of the norm.
Lobdell said the facility is busiest between June and September.
"We ship out, during the summer, about 3 to 4 times per month. Each of those shipments is about 30,000 pounds. So yeah, we stay busy," Lobdell said.
He added that the TCRCF is on track to collect more than 900,000 lbs. of processed waste by the end of the year. This would be a new record for the facility.
The TCRCF will hold a 10th anniversary celebration on September 23. All are welcome to attend. Food, drinks, and tours of the facility will be provided.
