On Saturday, October 9, 2021 the Ecology Action Center teamed up with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for the 2021 Household Hazardous Waste Collection event. By volumes of materials collected, this was our biggest HHW collection yet in 23 years!
1,326 cars, dropping off hazardous wastes from 1,606 households, utilized the collection. Even with over 1,300 cars coming through the event, there were no significant backups or delays.
This collection event broke a record for total hazardous waste collected in McLean County - with 28,813 gallons of hazardous wastes collected in one day. On average, each car carried more than 20 gallons of hazardous waste.
We are grateful for the strong support for this service and continue to strive to improve access. We are hopeful of increased frequency of collection events in the near future. This year we are also performing a feasibility study into a possible future permanent Household Hazardous Waste collection facility.
To support these efforts for better access to proper disposal of Household Hazardous Waste, please consider making a donation to the McLean County Household Hazardous Waste Fund.
On January 1st a new Illinois law went into effect, eliminating legal barriers to donation of unused pharmaceuticals. While many other states already had mechanisms in place for drug donation, until this year the only legal disposition for unwanted medications in Illinois was incineration. Any other disposition was classified as improper disposal, and illegal. Those restrictions made some sense, as they were put in place to keep drugs out of the environment, and to prevent access by individuals who might be at risk for negative health impacts.
The new law creates an opening so that some unused medications can be legally donated to an organization already equipped and licensed to properly handle these substances. Once the necessary systems are in place, the new law could help enable doctors to select their first choice medications, and help some patients access the medication their doctor recommends, despite the high cost of many drugs. Pharmacies dispensing donated drugs are permitted to charge a “reasonable handling fee”, but may not place a price tag on the medication itself. For individuals who qualify financially, the new law is expected to make some medications available at a cost far lower than the regular purchase price.
Pharmacies will probably need some time to create systems that fulfill all the legal requirements for accepting and distributing donated pharmaceuticals. That “reasonable handling fee” might help offset costs associated with verifying that the original packaging is intact, tracking inventory, storage, and keeping records to verify that donated medication is never sold. Organizations that accept donations will also have to deal with the costs of disposal when those medications expire.
Note that only unexpired medications in the manufacturer’s original packaging will be accepted for donation. Prescriptions dispensed in the ubiquitous amber-colored plastic pill bottles are not eligible. Dispose of repackaged and expired medications promptly and properly at a secure dropbox location, or using a Deterra drug disposal bag. For more information on pharmaceutical drop-off locations or disposal bags, visit RecycleBN.org or call us at 309-454-3169.
The Ecology Action Center can help! Natural gas prices are up an average of $0.80, and January was pretty darn cold, so those heating bills are higher than usual.
Let Larissa Armstrong, a Building Performance Institute Certified Building Analyst and Envelope Professional, help you find ways to improve your home's energy efficiency. Results from an energy audit will help ensure your home is holding onto as much heat as possible so you aren't paying more than you need to on your energy bills.
The EAC offers energy assessments for Bloomington and Normal residents and small businesses. We offer the following types of assessments:
Virtual walk-through inspections using Zoom - no cost
In-person walk-through inspections for $20
In-person walk-through inspections for $80
Small business in-person inspections for $120
We can also provide energy efficiency recommendations or answer any energy-related questions via phone or email
