Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois announced today that it is part of a seven state expansion of Dell Reconnect, a free drop-off program for consumers who want to responsibly recycle any brand of unwanted computer equipment.

The seven new states include Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Virginia. They’re also expanding the program in Wisconsin to the Southeastern and South Central parts of the state. Reconnect is now available in 18 states, plus the District of Columbia.

Reconnect offers consumers a free, convenient and responsible way to recycle used computer equipment. Consumers can drop off any brand of used equipment at participating Goodwill donation centers in their area and request a donation receipt for tax purposes. Goodwill stores in Rockford, Freeport, Sterling, IL and Beloit, WI will accept the used computer equipment including monitors free of charge. The DeKalb, IL store, scheduled to open in August 2009 will also
participate in the program.

With today’s announcement, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois will expand their already robust recycling program that diverted over two million pounds of materials from local landfills in 2008. It is anticipated the Dell Reconnect program will divert an additional 400,000 pounds at fullparticipation.

Dell makes it even easier for customers to responsibly recycle unwanted electronics. Through its extensive recycling options for consumers, small and medium businesses, large enterprises and
governments worldwide, Dell reached its goal to recycle 275 million pounds of equipment ahead of schedule. The company was the first IT vendor to set product recovery goals in 2004, completed the rollout of its global recycling program in 2006 and now offers a free worldwide
recycling program for consumers.

Today’s announcement brings the number of Goodwill stores participating in Reconnect to more than 1,400 nationwide. Goodwill, focused on creating job opportunities for individuals with
disabilities or others having a hard time finding employment, plans to hire additional staff to oversee the expanded recycling program.