Environmental Progress - Summer 2003

Fall 2003 Household Hazardous Waste Collections Announced

19 collections planned by early November

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled 19 household hazardous waste collections throughout the state between Sept. 6 and Nov. 8, Director Renee Cipriano has announced.

"The Illinois EPA works with local communities to give citizens the opportunity to rid their homes of household products that are potentially harmful. This also ensures that these chemicals do not end up in a landfill,"said Cipriano

Citizens may bring oil-based paints, thinners, chemical cleaners, antifreeze, motor oil, weed killers, insecticides and pesticides and similar household products, mercury and mercury containing products such as fever thermometers, old thermostats, elemental mercury from hobbyists, and fluorescent and other high-intensity discharge lamps. The public is encouraged to find alternative uses for latex paint since it is not considered hazardous. Not accepted are explosives, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, agricultural chemicals and all business wastes.

The events are free to the public and are paid for by a portion of the statewide fees on landfilled solid waste.

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

Still to come on the fall collection schedule are one day events at: Kankakee and the DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago on Sept. 27; Carbondale (Jackson County), Lincoln (Logan County) and Cicero (Cook County) on Oct. 4; Orland Park (Cook County) on Oct. 11; Harrisburg (Saline County), Peoria (Peoria County) and Roanoke, Woodford County) on Oct. 18; Madison (Madison County), Pana (Christian County) and Oglesby, LaSalle County) on Oct. 25; Champaign (Champaign County), and Crest Hill (Will County) on Nov. 1, and Galesburg (Knox County) on Nov. 8.

Additional information on the Household Hazardous Waste Collection schedule can be found on the Agency's web page. For questions concerning the IEPA collections, call the waste reduction unit of the IEPA at 217-785-8604.

There are currently three long-term collection programs operating in Naperville, Rockford and in Lake County. Additional information can be obtained by calling 630-420-6700 ext. 7559 in Naperville; 815-967-6737 in Rockford, or at the website of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County at http://www.co.lake.il.us/swalco/, or by calling 847-336-9340.

Events held in 26 counties

During last fiscal year, more than 20,000 households took part. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, the IEPA's waste reduction unit conducted 26 successful one-day household hazardous waste (HHW) collections in 21 counties.

More than 3,610 fifty-five gallon drums of toxic materials were collected from 20,146 households. The total cost to conduct the events was $1,320,582, for an average cost of $50,791 per event, and an average of $65.55 per household.

The 26 events bring the total number of one day HHW events to 304, with 274,591 households served. Over the lifetime of the program, 55,682 drums of hazardous household products have been collected at an average cost of $71.76 for each household and an average cost of $64,815.23 for each event.

Most commonly disposed of materials in recent collections were poisons and pesticides (17 percent), followed by oil (16.3 percent) and adhesives and sealers (14.97 percent.) Household batteries made up 1 percent of the material turned in, and mercury accounted for 0.28 percent.