JJC is sponsoring a hazardous waste disposal event, run by Will County's waste services division, from 8 a.m. (too early for me!) to 3 p.m. (that's more like it) Saturday. It'll be in Parking lot S-1 of JJC's main campus at 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet.
What you can get rid of:
Batteries, oil, oil-based paints and stains, oil filters, paint thinner, old gas, solvents, antifreeze, drain cleaners, automotive/boat batteries, cleaning products, fluorescent bulbs, medication, compact fluorescent bulbs, mercury (or items with mercury in them), pool chemicals, aerosol paints and pesticides, driveway sealer and lawn and garden chemical and fertilizers.
Or donate: Bring eyeglasses and cellphones so they'll end up in good hands.
What you can't get rid of: Latex pain, propane tanks, fireworks, waste from a farm or business, explosives, garbage, fire extinguishers, ammunition, smoke detectors, radioactive materials, medical waste, gas cylinders, tires, electronics or controlled substances.
And it's free. Seriously.
This list has got to make you stop and think. These items are dangerous when put in the regular garbage. They go to landfills and leach into the groundwater.
If the county realizes we shouldn't be exposing ourselves to these chemicals, don't you think you should think twice about using them in your home in the first place?
Will County doesn't want garden chemicals or toxic cleaning products in our landfills because they present a danger to all of us. Why are you putting them in your yard and home?
For more info on recycling opportunities in Will County, including where you can recycle things on this event's no-no list, visit www.willcountylanduse.com.
See you Saturday!
Julie Todd is the night editor at The Herald News in Joliet. She and her
husband are looking to cut the chemicals and get back to basics -- minus the
granola and hemp clothing. They live in a home they bought last year in
Plainfield, where they're making changes to create their own little patch of
utopia.
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