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Free Chemical Cleanup
April 19

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A free household chemical collection will be held at Southern Illinois Airport near Carbondale on Saturday, April 19. This collection program helps residents safely dispose of old and unwanted household chemicals.
Residents can drop off waste at the site on the date of the event between 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. only.

Items to be accepted at the collection include: paint, paint thinner, aerosols, household cleaners, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, motor oil, antifreeze, old gasoline, batteries of all types, solvents, polishes, pool chemicals, and lawn chemicals. Also accepted will be unwanted or outdated medications, both prescription and over-the-counter. These items should be brought in their original container, but you may black out all personal information other than the drug name. Do not bring in controlled substances, needles or syringes.

Citizens are especially encouraged to bring in all mercury-containing devices, such as thermometers, thermostats, and fluorescent bulbs.
Mercury is a liquid element that can be harmful to human health and the environment when such devices are broken or disposed of in landfills.
The first 100 residents to bring in a mercury thermometer will receive one new, non-mercury digital thermometer in exchange. Mercury thermometers can be identified by the silver liquid inside them. Please bring thermometers in a sealed plastic bag to help prevent breakage and spills. All thermometers with red liquid do not contain mercury and
should not be brought to the collection.

Items which will absolutely not be accepted at the collection include:
explosives, ammunition, fireworks, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, propane tanks, farm machinery oil, electronics, appliances, tires, radioactive material, and medical waste. No business, industrial, agricultural or government wastes will be accepted. Eligible participants wishing to dispose of materials in containers larger than five gallons should contact Jackson County Health Dept. prior to the event.

This rain or shine, one-day collection is open to all Illinois residents. The event is being sponsored by Jackson County Health Dept., Jackson County Board and Southern Illinois Airport. To get to the collection, from Illinois Route 13 west of Carbondale, take Airport Road north and follow the signs.

Event flyer is posted online at
http://www.jchdonline.org/docs/chemApr19.pdf

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