The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week that all Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection events and locations are temporary suspended after a fire broke out at an Ohio facility currently used to dispose of the waste.
The announcement means that upcoming fall one-day HHW collection events in Tinley Park, East Moline, Bloomington, Quincy, and Springfield – as well as the long-term HHW disposal facilities in Chicago, Naperville, Lake County, Rockford, and Madison County that Illinois EPA supports – have suspended operations until an alternative incinerator willing to accept Illinois’ HHW is identified.
Residents in possession of household hazardous waste like oil-based paints, herbicides, cleaning supplies, and household batteries should keep the materials safely stored in their original manufacturer containers until HHW collections can resume.
The Illinois EPA says it remains committed to rescheduling the one-day HHW collection events once an alternative disposal arrangement is available, or the Ohio facility is operational. The agency is hoping to reschedule these events later this fall or early winter.
For more information on Household Hazardous Waste, please visit https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/waste-management/waste-disposal/household-hazardous-waste/Pages/default.aspx.