| Materials By Category: |
- Indoor Water Conservation
- Outdoor Water Conservation
- Rain Gardens
- Native Landscapes and Xeriscaping
- Parking Lot and Sidewalk De-icing
- Recycling and Hazardous Materials Disposal
- Community Wells and Private Wells
- Septic Information
- Business and Industry
- Technical Reference Information
- General Links
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Indoor Water Conservation |
Check out the WaterSaver House
Check out the Water Use Calculator |
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Outdoor Water Conservation |
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Rain Gardens |
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Native Landscaping and Xeriscaping |
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Native Landscaping
Going Native
Ecological Gardening
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Parking Lot and Sidewalk De-Icing |
| Storm Water
Help prevent stormwater pollution this winter!
Winter brings with it lots of fun activities, like sledding, ice skating and skiing. But winter also means mounds of snow to shovel and layers of ice to remove from our sidewalks and driveways. We often make the job easier by applying deicers like salt. Besides sodium chloride, many deicers also contain chemicals like cyanide. When ice melts, the salts and chemicals dissolve and flow into street drains that lead directly to the river, endangering aquatic life.
There are two approaches to reducing stormwater pollution from household salt use:
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1.Try an alternative!
Road salt alternatives
2. Reduce your salt use.
By limiting the amount of salt we use on sidewalks and driveways, we can reduce the amount of polluted stormwater washing into our waterways. The most important step in deicing is to physically remove as much ice as possible before applying salt. Use a shovel to break up the ice before you add another layer of salt to your sidewalk. Adding more salt without removing what has melted can result in over application, meaning more salt and chemicals end up in the river.
You can also reduce salt use by limiting access to your home entrance. For every doorway that is not used, there will be less salt running into the catch basin in your street.
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Recycling and Hazardous Materials Disposal |
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Pollution Prevention At Home
Recycling
Facilities for Disposal
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The following long-term facilities are available to all Illinois residents for disposal of HCW. Please phone the long-term facilities ahead to determine availability and open hours.
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Chicago's permanent Household Chemicals & Computer Recycling Facility |
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Cook County |
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Goose Island |
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1150 N Branch Street |
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Operated by the City of Chicago and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA)
Call (312)744-7606 for more information. |
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Tuesdays: 7:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursdays: 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
1st Saturday of month: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm |
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Accepts Household Chemical Waste.
Accepts computer materials.
Hosts a free latex paint swap.
Accepts propane tanks, fire extinquishers and smoke detectors at this location. | |
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Rockford Rock River Reclamation District |
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3333 Kishwaukee |
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8:00 am - 4:00 pm Sat |
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12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Sun |
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NO LATEX PAINT |
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Call for details at
(815) 387-7400 |
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Naperville Fire Station #4 |
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1971 Brookdale Road |
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9:00 am - 2:00 pm |
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Saturday and Sunday |
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NO LATEX PAINT |
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Call for details at
(630) 420-4190 |
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| Materials By Category |
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Medication Disposal
Illinois Poison Center
Recommendations for Disposal of Unwanted or Expired Medication
In response to environmental concerns the Illinois Poison Center has developed new guidelines for the disposal of old or unused medication. The proper removal of medicine from the home will help prevent accidental poisoning for children and family members, decrease drug diversion or abuse of certain medications and lessen the negative impact of pharmaceuticals on the environment. Over the past several years, studies have shown the presence of drugs such as antibiotics, hormones and cardiac medications among others in our nation’s waterways. Water treatment plants are unable to remove these compounds before they reach the environment. The majority of this contamination is most likely due to the natural excretion of the medication or its metabolized by-products from individuals taking the drug. Another significant source of environmental contamination is the amount of antibiotics and hormones given to livestock (e.g., cattle, pigs or poultry). While flushing unused medications may be a small part of this emerging environmental concern, it is a key behavior that can be easily modified.
Medicine Disposal Guidelines:
1. Where available, take expired or unwanted medications to an approved medication disposal site in your community. You may call you local health department or other government agency to find the locations.
2. If a medication disposal program is not available in the area, the unwanted or expired medicine may be thrown away in the trash:
· Liquids should be poured over paper towels, kitty litter, or coffee grounds and tightly wrapped in sealable or watertight containers or bags.
· Solids (pills, capsules, tablets) may be mixed with undesirable substances such as coffee grounds or kitty litter so that they are less likely to be eaten. Place the mixture into a sealable or water tight container or bag. When these medicines are placed in the trash, be sure to place them in an inaccessible location to minimize the chance of accidental poisoning of children and pets.
3. Flush medications down the toilet only if the label specifically instructs to do so.
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Community Wells and Private Wells |
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Community Wells
Private Drinking Water Well
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Septic Information |
| Private Sewage Disposal
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Business and Industry |
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Conservation Design
Stormwater
Pollution Prevention
Farms
Water Reuse
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Technical References |
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General Links |
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