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Illinois EPA removes chemicals used in classrooms

Press Release - Wednesday, February 13, 2008

SPRINGFIELD  - Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director Doug Scott announced another successful month for the Agency's Hazardous Education Waste program, which removes potentially hazardous educational wastes from the state's school laboratories and classrooms.  In January, 34 schools in 21 counties had the equivalent of 106 fifty-five gallon drums of education waste removed from their facilities.
 
"The goal of the Hazardous Education Waste program is really two-fold.  It rids classrooms of leftover laboratory products, protects the environment from chemicals, and it keeps students and staff safe, while educating the next generation on the value of caring for the environment," said Director Scott.
 
Recognizing that a school's physical environment may have a significant impact on children's health and safety, hazardous education waste reduction and education are important components of the Illinois EPA's overall effort to make our environment and learning environment safer.  Since 1996, Illinois EPA has conducted 695 Hazardous Education Waste collections serving more than 400 communities, disposing of more than 1,885 fifty-five gallon drum equivalents of toxic materials.  An additional 133 schools are currently being scheduled for pickups in the near future.
 
The Illinois EPA, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Waste Management Research Center have been working together to improve environmental conditions at Illinois schools to decrease, if not eliminate, the use of hazardous materials in the classroom.  Since November 2002, over 1,000 teachers have attended nearly 40 safe chemicals in education workshops held throughout the state educating them on how to identify and find alternatives to hazardous materials.
 
 
 
(Attachment)
 
 
 
 
The following is a list of schools that participated in the education waste clean up: 
 
 
 
 
CollectionName
CountyName
Date
School:
Mascoutah
January 7, 2008
Mascoutah High School
Belleville
St.Clair
January 7, 2008
The Governor French Academy
Flossmoor
Cook
January 10, 2008
Homewood-Flossmoor High School
Naperville
DuPage
January 11, 2008
Neuqua Valley High School
Hoffman Estates
Cook
January 11, 2008
Hoffman Estates High School
Evergreen Park
Cook
January 14, 2008
Evergreen Park Community High School
Metropolis
Massac
January 14, 2008
Massac County High School
Belvidere
Boone
January 15, 2008
Belvidere High School
Hume
Edgar
January 15, 2008
Shilo School
West Frankfort
Franklin
January 15, 2008
Frankfort Community High School
Elgin
Kane
January 15, 2008
Elgin Academy
Streator
Livingston
January 15, 2008
Woodland School
Richmond
McHenry
January 16, 2008
Nippersink Middle School
Algonquin
McHenry
January 16, 2008
Saint Margaret Mary School
Crystal Lake
McHenry
January 16, 2008
Crystal Lake South High School (2ND VISIT)
Cary
McHenry
January 16, 2008
Cary-Grove High School
Mt. Carroll
Carroll
January 17, 2008
West Carroll Middle School
Peoria
Peoria
January 17, 2008
Manual High School
Bradley
Kankakee
January 18, 2008
Bradley-Bourbonnais High School
Granite City
Madison
January 18, 2008
Montessori
Hoffman Estates
Cook
January 22, 2008
James B. Conant High School
Girard
Macoupin
January 22, 2008
Girard High School
Auburn
Sangamon
January 22, 2008
Auburn Community Unit District #10
Carlinville
Macoupin
January 22, 2008
Carlinville Middle/High School
Springfield
Sangamon
January 23, 2008
Luthern High School
Bluffs
Scott
January 23, 2008
Bluffs School Scott-Morgan Cmty Unit #2
Quincy
Adams
January 24, 2008
Quincy Notre Dame High School
Shirland
Winnebago
January 24, 2008
Shirland School
McHenry
McHenry
January 24, 2008
Johnsburg High School
Quincy
Adams
January 24, 2008
St. James Lutheran
Loves Park
Winnebago
January 24, 2008
Harlem Middle School
Pleasant Hill
Pike
January 25, 2008
Pleasant Hill High School
Piasa
Macoupin
January 30, 2008
Southwestern High School
Marion
Williamson
January 31, 2008
Marion High School
 
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