Press Release - Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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Illinois EPA collecting unused and expired prescription medicines and household hazardous waste from Chicago community
CHICAGO - Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director Doug Scott today announced that in the next two weeks, Cook County residents will have two opportunities to dispose of household hazardous wastes and unused prescription medicines in an environmentally sound manner, diverting them from landfills and waterways.
On Saturday, April 19, a Household Hazardous Waste Collection (HHW) sponsored by the Illinois EPA and the Chicago Department of Environment, will take place at DeVry Technical Institute located at 3300 North Campbell in Chicago from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. The collection will give citizens the opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted pharmaceuticals, unused or leftover household products commonly found in homes, basements and garages, rather than throwing these items in the garbage.
Citizens are encouraged to bring oil-based paints, thinners, chemical cleaners, old medicines, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, kerosene, weed killers, insecticides, pesticides, adhesives, hobby chemicals, household batteries and similar products. Fluorescent and other high-intensity discharge lamps may also be brought to the collections. The public is encouraged to find alternative uses for latex paint since it is not considered hazardous.
"This continues to be an extremely popular program for Illinois homeowners because it gives them an opportunity to dispose of common household products that are potentially hazardous to human health and the environment," said Director Scott.
The program, which began in 1989, has already served nearly 390,000 households. Since the program's inception, almost 440 one-day events have been held, and over 76,000 fifty-five gallon drums of toxic materials have been collected from Illinois citizens.
The Illinois EPA will also collect unused and unwanted pharmaceuticals to prevent them from being flushed down the drain and ending up in a water source that may ultimately become a drinking water supply. Studies have linked hormone exposure to reproductive defects in fish, and environmental exposure to antibiotics can lead to the development of drug-resistant germs.
Cook County residents will also be given the opportunity to remove unused drugs from their households that have accumulated over the winter months and dispose of them in an environmentally friendly manner on Saturday, April 26. The collection, sponsored by Illinois EPA, U.S. EPA, Chicago Department of the Environment and the Alliance for Great Lakes States, take place at the Household Chemical & Recycling Facility located at 1150 N. North Branch on Goose Island from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
"This collection gives residents the chance to clean out their medicine cabinets and dispose of unused or unwanted pharmaceuticals that have been taking up space in their home. The week-long collection is beneficial not only to citizens who want get rid of unused antibiotics or other drugs, but it also benefits the environment by keeping them out of landfills and Illinois waterways," said Director Scott.
For residents who cannot attend the HHW and Prescription Drug Collections, the Illinois EPA has scheduled HHW collection events across the state. A HHW collection schedule can also be found on the Agency's web page:
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