Issue 11, September 28, 2020

Household Hazardous Material Collection Events Scheduled for Fall 2020

Fall can be an excellent time for cleaning up your chemical storage area. Now is the time to get rid of any old or unwanted pesticides while this growing season’s use is still fresh in your mind. The household hazardous material collection schedule has been released to the public. 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.

September 26:  Kankakee
Kankakee Community College
100 College Dr.
Kankakee, IL 60901

October 3:  Du Quoin
Du Quoin Elementary school
845 E Jackson St.
Du Quoin, IL 62832

October 10:  Watseka
Iroquois County Administration Building
1001 E. Grant St.
Watseka, IL 60970

November 7:  Springfield
Illinois State Fair Grounds (specific location TBD)
801 E. Sangamon Ave
Springfield, IL 62702
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.

Author:
Michelle Wiesbrook

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