CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim announced ten upcoming Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events for spring 2023 following a temporary suspension.

The Mid-Piatt Fire Protection District shared on social media that the Illinois EPA offers residents free HHW collection events to safely dispose of unused or leftover hazardous products commonly found in homes. Events will be held all over the state, with three scheduled at locations in Central Illinois.

The EPA said that people are encouraged to bring items such as chemical cleaners, oil-based paints, thinners, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, kerosene, weed killers, insecticides, pesticides, old or outdated medication, and similar hazardous household products. Fluorescent and other high-intensity discharge lamps may also be brought to the collections.

Items that won’t be accepted include latex paint, explosives, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, agricultural chemicals, and business wastes.

Collection events in Central Illinois include:

April 15: State Farm Center at 1800 S. First Street in Champaign

May 6: Illinois State Fairgrounds at 901 E. Sangamon Avenue in Springfield

June 10: Christian County Fairgrounds 1716 W. Spresser St. in Taylorville

“These events receive tremendous response from residents, and we know they were missed during the unexpected delay in collections,” said Director Kim. “We would like to thank our local partners and co-sponsors who have worked to make these collections possible, providing residents with the opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted chemicals and potentially hazardous products.”

For safe transport of HHW, all Illinois residents are asked to:

• Pack HHW items in a disposable box to avoid spilling during transport.
• Keep similar chemicals together and separate different chemicals.
• Secure lids and make sure containers are not leaking.
• Place box(es) of HHW in the empty trunk or storage compartment of your vehicle, away from passengers during transport.
• Remain in the vehicle at the collection site. On-site personnel will remove the HHW from your vehicle.

We spoke with the Public Works Department Recycling Coordinator, Nichole Millage. She said the collections are open to all Illinois residents and operate from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on the day of the event. Pre-registration is required for all spring 2023 collection events.

You can pre-register here by clicking on your collection location. You will then need to click on the “Book Now” link on that location’s page and select one of the available 15-minute time slots for that event.

Other one-day collection locations include South Holland, Ottawa, Orland Park, Macomb, Peoria, Carbondale, and McHenry County.

Additionally, there will be long-term collection facilities available for the disposal of HHW throughout the year in many locations across Northern Illinois.

Officials said that Illinois EPA HHW collections continue to be contactless for the safety of participants and workers. Collection events are funded through the Illinois EPA’s Solid Waste Fund.