Illinois EPA announces spring 2009 Household Hazardous Waste collection schedule

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott announced today that six household hazardous waste collection events have been scheduled to be held across the state, starting Saturday, April 25, in Shelbyville.

"The program is beneficial not only to citizens who are able to get potentially harmful chemicals out of their homes; it also benefits the environment by keeping those chemicals out of landfills through various treatment technologies and recycling." said Director Scott.  "This continues to be an extremely popular program for Illinois homeowners because it gives them the opportunity to dispose of common household products that are potentially hazardous to human health and the environment."

The program, which began in 1989, has served 409,150 households.  Since the program's inception, 459 one-day events have been held across the state, and over 79,600 fifty-five gallon drums of toxic materials have been collected from Illinois citizens.

The collections give citizens the opportunity to safely dispose of unused or leftover household products commonly found in homes, basements and garages statewide. The materials are handled in an environmentally sound manner, diverting them from local area landfills.

Citizens are encouraged to bring, oil-based paints, thinners, chemical cleaners, old medicines, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, kerosene, weed killers, insecticides, pesticides, adhesives, hobby chemicals, household batteries and similar products.  Fluorescent and other high-intensity discharge lamps may also be brought to the collections.  The public is encouraged to find alternative uses for latex paint since it is not considered hazardous.

The Illinois EPA will also collect unused and unwanted pharmaceuticals to prevent them from being flushed down the drain and ending up in a water source that may ultimately become a drinking water supply.  Studies have linked hormone exposure to reproductive defects in fish, and environmental exposure to antibiotics can lead to the development of drug-resistant germs. 

Residents are also encouraged to bring mercury and mercury containing products such as fever thermometers, old thermostats and elemental mercury, as part of an Illinois initiative to reduce the amount of this hazardous material in our environment. 
  
Items not accepted include explosives, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, medical waste, sharps, agricultural chemicals and all business wastes. Propane tanks and lead acid auto batteries cannot be accepted at most of the events, but should be taken to local recyclers.

Spring 2009 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Schedule

One-day collections are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on scheduled Saturdays

DATE LOCATION ADDRESS COSPONSOR(s)
4/25/09 Shelby County Wal-Mart Parking Lot,
Northeast corner, Route 16, Shelbyville Shelby County Health Department
Shelby County U of I Extension

5/9/09 Cook County Elk Grove Pavilion
1000 Wellington Avenue,
Elk Grove Village Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC)

5/16/09 White County 1104 Martin Drive, Carmi Egyptian Health Department

5/30/09 St. Clair County Belleville Township High
4063 Frank Scott Parkway West, Belleville St. Clair County and City of Belleville

6/6/09 Cook County Hanover Township
250 South Rte 59, Bartlett Hanover Township

6/13/09 Tazewell County East Peoria Festival Building
2200 E. Washington Street,
East Peoria Tazewell County Health Department

In addition, the following long-term facilities are available for disposal of household hazardous waste:

Naperville: 1971 Brookdale Road Rockford:  3333 Kishwaukee
 Fire Station No. 4  Rock River Reclamation District
 Phone 630/420-4190  Phone 815/967-6737

City of Chicago: 1150 N. North Branch on Goose Island
  www.cityofchicago.org.
  312-744-7672

Lake County: The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) operates a long-term household chemical waste collection program.  Information and a collection schedule are on the SWALCO Web site: http://www.lakecountyil.gov/swalco/default.htm, or by calling 847/336-9340.