By Greg Halbleib
NORMAL – The Ecology Action Center is beginning a campaign to raise funds to collect household hazardous waste this fall.
The center is the solid waste agency for McLean County. Ecology Action Center Executive Director Michael Brown said the collections are designed to keep a wide variety of waste out of the water supply.
Brown outlined some of the items collected.
“Automotive-type fluids to oil-based paints to yard care chemicals to mercury-containing items like old mercury thermometers or thermostats, asbestos, pesticides, insecticides,” Brown said. “It’s really a diverse event in that we take a lot household-generated hazardous wastes.”
The EAC is trying to raise at least $35,000. The agency conducted similar drives in 2012 and 2015 to supplement public funding for the collections. The state paid for the collections from 2003 to 2007 but budget cuts resulted in irregular funding in the last 10 years.
Brown said accessibility is important for effective waste collection.
“We need to do as much as we can and as much as is practical to remove barriers to participation in hazardous waste collection programs if we really want to make a difference and increase participation significantly,” Brown added.
An Illinois Environmental Protection Agency household hazardous waste collection is planned for Clinton on June 3.
More information is at ecologyactioncenter.org.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
