A long-awaited Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day will be held in O’Fallon on Saturday, April 8, 2006 from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Community Park, 401 East Fifth Street. Elected officials and staff began talking about bringing this event to O’Fallon several years ago and finally received approval from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) in February. The event is sponsored by the IEPA, St. Clair County Health Department, and the City of O’Fallon. There is no charge to participate.
Acceptable Items:
Oil-based paints Pool chemicals
Cleaning solvents Paint thinners
Old gasoline Household batteries
Herbicides Old cell phones
Antifreeze Eyeglasses
Pesticides Lead acid batteries
Lawn Chemicals & fertilizers Fire extinguishers
Propane tanks (up to 40 lb.) Fluorescent lamp bulbs
Used motor oil Mercury containing items
Unacceptable Items:
Latex paint Farm machinery oil
Explosives Agricultural wastes
Fireworks Medical wastes
Smoke detectors Used tires
Business/commercial sector wastes
“This collection event is a great opportunity for O’Fallon residents to safely and responsibly dispose of any hazardous items that may be in and around their homes, and I encourage our citizens to participate in this important event,” stated Mayor Gary L. Graham.
Drive through lanes will be provided for residents to drop off their household hazardous wastes with wait times ranging from 10 to 40 minutes. For safety reasons, no walk-in traffic will be permitted. IEPA officials will be on-site and will handle all items to ensure proper safety and disposal. Improper disposal of household chemicals poses a risk to our health, our air, our drinking water, and other plants and animals in our environment. Mercury exposure, in particular, can be very dangerous. Please encourage anyone you know who has mercury products such as thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent bulbs, etc. to bring these to the collection event.
The wastes accepted at this event are recycled or disposed of in a number of environmentally safe ways. Many household batteries, mercury, emptied paint cans, motor oils, fluorescent bulbs, and some solvents are recycled into other useful products. Paints, processable aerosols, motor oils, gasoline, kerosene, paint removers, thinners, and other flammable or combustible liquids are blended with virgin fuels and used as an alternative fuel source for industrial boilers and cement kilns. Many household cleaners, swimming pool chemicals, cyanides and acids have their toxins neutralized or removed by various chemical processes and are rendered harmless. Insecticides, herbicides, waxes, some cleaners and flammable materials not suited for fuel blending or recycling are destroyed by
incineration at high temperatures.
Volunteers will be needed to direct traffic and to survey participants. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Pam Funk at pfunk@ofallon.org or 624-4500, ext. 1112.
For those of you who have latex paint that you wish to dispose of, you can simply place kitty litter, sawdust, shredded paper or just about anything else that will absorb moisture in the can. When the paint is dry, simply place the can in your normal trash and Waste Management will pick it up. They aren’t allowed to take wet latex paint, but can take dry paint cans.
For more information about the event, contact the St. Clair County Health Department Pollution Prevention Office at 233-7769 or Pam Funk at pfunk@ofallon.org or 624-4500, ext. 1112.
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