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Using the services of professional
environmental cleanup contractors in previous years, the state
agency has conducted 342 hazardous education waste collections
serving 247 communities. In a
major expansion of the program, Onyx Environmental Services has been
awarded an $800,000 contract to conduct removal and disposal of
potentially hazardous educational wastes through June 30, 2007.
"Under Governor Blagojevich, there
has been a significant increase in assistance to citizens and
schools in the safe disposal of hazardous materials, and this
contract will enable us to greatly expand a partnership with school
districts that relieves them of the burden of disposing of
potentially harmful chemicals and ensures they are recycled or
otherwise disposed of properly," said Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency Director Renee Cipriano.
"While wastes generated by one
school laboratory may contain only small quantities of hazardous
wastes, when they are multiplied by thousands of schools, it raises
concerns about proper disposal," she added.
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The wastes collected include
laboratory wastes, expired chemicals, unstable compounds,
mercury-containing items, and toxic or flammable materials.
Funding for the contract comes from
the Solid Waste Management Fund, which receives a portion of the
tipping fees paid by landfills. Onyx, which has provided services in
the past for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's
household hazardous waste collection events, was awarded the
contract as the highest-scoring, responsive bidder.
"This program will result in ongoing
benefits because IEPA workshops and other technical assistance
encouraging nontoxic alternatives and educating school
administrators on safer use and disposal are also coordinated with
the pickups and will result in the long-term reduction of hazardous
waste," Cipriano noted.
[Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency news release]
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