Issue 12, September 22, 2021

Household Hazardous Material Collection Events Scheduled for Fall 2021

Now is the time to get rid of any old or unwanted pesticides in your chemical storage area. The Illinois EPA one-day household hazardous waste collection schedule has been released to the public. Please note, all one-day collections require pre-registration. More information can be found below. Here are a few options you have for disposing of your old or unwanted pesticides:

  1. Use them up. You can usually apply them to a labeled-use site regardless of whether or not pests are present. Be sure to read and follow all label directions. Sometimes pesticides are taken off the market, or certain uses are removed from the label. In those cases, existing stocks can typically still be used. Rarely does US–EPA order a stop-use on the product. However, it is illegal to apply old stocks of chlordane or 2,4,5-T. To learn about the registration status of your product in question, you can contact the manufacturer or the Illinois Department of Agriculture, (217)785-2427.
  2. Give them away. Fellow neighboring gardeners may be interested in your castoffs. It's not recommended that you sell unwanted pesticides. To sell a pesticide legally, it must still be in the original packaging with the complete label. If the pesticide is restricted use, you must be licensed in order to sell it. If the product registration has been cancelled, selling is illegal.
  3. Take them to a hazardous waste collection event. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has scheduled a few one-day household hazardous waste (HHW) collection events to be held across Illinois this fall. See below for the schedule.

For a list of household hazardous waste materials that are acceptable or unacceptable at these collections, please visit the Illinois EPA's Web site at https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/waste-management/waste-disposal/household-hazardous-waste/Pages/acceptable-wastes.aspx.  

If in doubt, it may be best to first contact the Waste Reduction Unit of the IEPA at (217)524-3300.

There are special hazardous material collection events for other non-household types of pesticides:

  • Agricultural pesticides are collected at various scheduled "Agricultural Pesticide Clean Sweep" events. Contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture, (217)785-2427, for more information.
  • Structural pesticides (those used by professional applicators to control pests in and around structures) are collected at "Structural Pesticide Clean Sweep" sites. Contact the Illinois Department of Public Health, (217)782-4674, for more information.

One-day Collection Schedule
Please note that some dates and events have already passed and are therefore, not listed here.


October 9
Bloomington/Normal (McLean County)
Interstate Center (Rear Entrance)
2500 West College Avenue
Normal, IL 61761
Pre-Register:  http://HHWmclean.org 

​October 9
Quincy (Adams County)
Adams County Highway Department
101 North 54th Street
Quincy, IL 62305
Pre-Register:  www.AdamsCountyHHW.as.me 

​October 16
Effingham (Effingham County)
Village Square Mall
1910 South Banker Street
Effingham, IL 62401
Pre-Register:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/effingham-county-household-hazardous-waste-collection-tickets-167755789081 

October 23
Springfield (Sangamon County)
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Lot 21
801 East Sangamon Avenue
Springfield, IL 62702
Pre-Register:  www.springfield.il.us/HHW

All events require registration in advance.  Please visit the links above or contact the event co-sponsor to pre-register or for additional questions:

    East Moline:  Questions - bmelton@bistateonline.org
Peoria:  Phone Appointments - 309-679-6156 (12-4 PM Monday – Friday); Questions -   recycling@peoriacounty.org 
Bloomington:  Phone Appointments - 309-468-6449; Questions - HHW@ecologyactioncenter.org
Quincy:  Questions - www.co.adams.il.us/health
Effingham:  Questions - Cindy Deters - 217-342-1146
Springfield:  Questions – 217-789-2255 ext. 5244; Adena.Rivas@Springfield.il.us
One-day collections are open from 8 am to 3 pm on the above scheduled Saturdays. Please note these are open to all Illinois residents.  In addition, the following long-term facilities are available for disposal of HHW. Please phone ahead to determine availability and open hours.
City of Chicago
Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility
1150 N. North Branch on Goose Island
Tues: 7 am - noon
Thursday:  2 pm - 7 pm
First Saturday of each month:  8 am - 3 pm
For information: (312) 744-3060

Rockford:
Rock River Reclamation District
3333 Kishwaukee
Sat: 8 am - 4 pm
Sun: Noon - 4 pm
For information: (815) 987-5570
http://knib.org/recycling/green-guide/household-hazardous-waste-site/

Naperville:
Household Hazardous Waste Facility
156 Fort Hill Dr.
Sat:  9 am - 2 pm
Sun: 9 am - 2 pm
For information: (630) 420-6095
https://www.naperville.il.us/services/garbage-and-recycling/household-hazardous-waste-facility/   

Lake County:
The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) currently operates a long-term household chemical waste collection program. Information and a collection schedule can be found on the SWALCO Web site http://www.swalco.org or by calling (847) 336-9340.

For questions concerning the IEPA's one-day or long-term collections, please call the Waste Reduction Unit at (217) 524-3300.
Michelle Wiesbrook

Author:
Michelle Wiesbrook

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