Invest in a safe,
clean future.
Capital Campaign to Build a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
What is household hazardous waste
and why is it so dangerous?
Almost everyone has leftover household products in their homes that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients.
These hazardous household products have special warnings about careful storage and safe disposal and are commonly referred to as household hazardous waste (HHW). These HHW materials have the same characteristics as highly regulated hazardous waste from commercial and industrial processes, and contain ingredients that make disposal in landfills undesirable.
Residents across East Central Illinois lack a convenient collection option for household hazardous waste. As a result, these hazardous materials often end up in landfills, may be unsafely stored in homes and garages, or are dumped into the sewer system or on the ground where they present a contamination threat to our water supply.
The Solution
In 2017, a task force led by Susan Monte at the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission held a series of meetings to address the long-standing need for convenient, safe, and environmentally responsible household hazardous waste (HHW) management options for residents of Champaign County and nearby counties. In response to this need, Champaign County Environmental Stewards (CCES) was founded in 2019. CCES has advanced improved options for the safe and convenient collection of household hazardous waste and is ready to next the next step and build a permanent HHW collection facility for Champaign County.
Expected Costs For New Facility
Revenue Sources
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING GOAL
CCES Pursuing Additional Federal and State Funding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $972,000
Importance to Embark on a
Capital Campaign at This Time
We asked.
You answered.
A 2023 feasibility study conducted by Pratapas Associates, LLC of Naperville, IL revealed that 100% of participants preferred a local HHW collection facility, open year-round on a regular, part-time basis to a one-day, annual event.
Further, 85% of respondents felt it was Very or Extremely important to embark on a capital campaign at this time.
Clean, safe water. Convenient access. Education.
The nearest, permanent HHW collection facility is 2.5–3 hours driving distance from Champaign County.
The Mahomet Aquifer is the primary source of drinking water for more than 500,000 people in 15 Illinois counties, and provides an estimated 220 million gallons of water per day to communities, agriculture industry, and rural wells.
The Mahomet Aquifer Protection Task Force 2018 Report identified inadequate or improper HHW management as one of six contamination threats to the water quality of the Mahomet Aquifer. Improving the collection of HHW in the region is an investment in maintaining the quality of the Mahomet Aquifer.
In 2015, the US EPA designated the Mahomet Aquifer as a “Sole Source Aquifer,” attesting to the importance of the groundwater resource in supporting life in East Central Illinois.
Why your investment matters.
A safe and effective HHW collection facility will benefit our communities in many ways.
- Reduces groundwater and surface water contamination from HHW dumping.
- Prevents accidental poisonings or other medical problems from hazardous chemical exposure in the home.
- Minimizes the number of HHW-related house fires.
- Limits firefighters’ exposure to hazardous chemicals and highly toxic smoke while responding to house fires.
- Reduces solid waste workers’ exposure to hazardous materials.
- Minimizes damage to solid waste infrastructure (including trucks, recycling facilities, landfill liners).
- Limits damage to wastewater treatment plants.
- Limits damage to residential septic systems and saves homeowners repair and maintenance costs.
- Increases access to education, and information about collection and proper management of HHW.
- Helps protect and maintain the quality of the Mahomet Aquifer.