Tossing a spent single-use propane tank or an old fire extinguisher in the trash can cause an explosion inside a garbage truck. Failing to dispose of latex paint properly can cause harm to marine wildlife.
Properly disposing of paint, tanks, fire extinguishers and even no longer-needed children’s car seats can prevent environmental damage, and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) has a program to make it easier in a sustainable way.
SWALCO is restarting its Special Materials Collection Program over the next eight months, beginning in March, at its Gurnee facility to make it easier for residents to dispose of potentially dangerous or environmentally threatening items for recycling.
Joe Martino, SWALCO’s household chemical waste program manager, said residents can make an appointment online at any of the five appointed times in March, May, July, September or October. Items will also be collected from unscheduled arrivals.
Martino said the specific dates will be announced later this month. The facility is located near the intersection of Highway 41 and Delaney Road. Appointments will enable the scheduling of the appropriate number of people to help.
Finding a waste hauler to take items like latex paint, propane tanks, fire extinguishers and child car seats is a challenge for SWALCO. Martino said the special program is designed to make it easier for residents to get rid of them rather than having such things accumulate.
“Waste haulers do not want to take them,” Martino said. “This is a good option (for) you to get rid of them. They’re hard to recycle.”
The collection is not free. Martino said disposing of a quart or less of paint costs $2, a gallon is $4.50 and a five-gallon container requires an $11.50 payment. Individuals will pay $4.25 to leave a propane tank, $3 for a fire extinguisher and $15 for a child car seat.
“We do this to cover our costs. We don’t make any money,” Martino said. “There is a company in Michigan. They recycle the paint so it can be used again. Some of it goes to Habitat for Humanity, and that’s a pretty good use.”
Collecting spent propane tanks and fire extinguishers is a priority for SWALCO because waste haulers want to avoid it. They can cause damage to a garbage truck and remain a hazard in a landfill.
Michelle Titterton, the sustainability manager at the College of Lake County who has taught environmental science for Loyola University in Chicago, said should unused paint find its way into the water supply there is potential for ecological harm.
“It can be a real hazard,” she said. “It if gets into the storm sewer system, it goes into the rivers and eventually the ocean, where it can hurt fish, plants, etc.”
Titterton said used fire extinguishers and propane tanks remain dangerous once the substance contained inside them is used. The consequences can be severe if they are unknowingly placed in a garbage truck.
“Both are pressurized, and can explode under pressure,” she said. “It can cause a fire and injure the workers.”
New to the program this year are the child car seats. Martino said a lot of people have them around their homes, no longer need them and do not have a friend or neighbor who is in need.
Since the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency does not include child car seats in its recycling programs, Martino said SWALCO decided to find a solution. The agency found a company to recycle them.
“They recycle the plastic for other uses,” Martino said. “They take out all the screws and resell them.”
As car seats age, Titterton said they become less and less safe. By putting them at curbside for pickup by a hauler, someone else could take them for their child. They may have aged beyond their usefulness.
“If they are no longer safe, they can be dangerous for a child,” she said. “Proper disposal is essential.
While there is a special program for latex paint, propane tanks, fire extinguishers and child car seats, Martino said SWALCO also has a household chemical waste program for other items. There are times for drop-off during the year.
Among the items Martino said people can bring are aerosol cans, lithium batteries and most other chemical items around the house.
