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What items are banned from going in Illinois
landfills: |
Appliances
Auto Batteries
Landscape Waste
Lightbulbs - fluorescent & high intensity
Medical waste
Tires
Used Motor Oil
Check with your local community or county for
information about disposing of these items
properly (see county links below)
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What items should NOT go in our landfills: |
Electronics - including computers &
computer-related items, TVs,
video games, telephones
Household batteries
Household hazardous waste
Medications - do NOT flush down toilets
Medical waste
Check with your local community or county for
information about disposing of these items
properly |
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| Visit our
Recycling Page for more information |
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There are various ways to deal
with garbage, but any traditional practices
aren’t as beneficial as we once thought they
were. Waste accumulates in landfills and
produces methane. Waste in an incinerator it
produces dioxin (another harmful greenhouse
gas).
The pattern of buying, throwing away and buying
again is not only wasteful; it also causes
depletion of our natural resources. This is a
dangerous spiral that results in threats to
biodiversity, deforestation, pollution, and
other environmental problems in the Fox River
watershed. Through waste reduction, and
recycling, we can shrink our environmental
footprint.
Here are some easy
things you can do to help! |
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Buy durable products instead of those
that are disposable or cheaply made. They last
longer.
• Repair/restore
used items before replacing them.
• Buy items you can
re-use. Use china or enamel crockery
rather than plastic or paper plates and bowls.
Use real cutlery rather than plastic. Pack
school lunches in reusable containers with lids.
• Buy concentrated
products to reduce packaging. Examples
are concentrated fruit juice, laundry detergent,
fabric softener and window cleaner. Use an
electric shaver or a higher quality razor with
replaceable blades. Use plug-in appliances
instead of those that operate on batteries. Buy
items you can recycle locally through curbside
collection or recycling centers.
• Buy beverages in
returnable or recyclable containers.
Learn more about recycling options in your
community. List all the things you can recycle
through your city's curbside program or your
local recycling center. Then list the things in
your trash that are non-recyclable. Next time
you go shopping, look for recyclable
substitutes.
• Avoid excess
packaging when choosing product brands.
Buy products in bulk, but only buy an amount you
will use: larger sizes reduce the amount of
packaging, but smaller sizes reduce leftover
waste.
• Pass unwanted
items on to friends and family. Or sell
unwanted items or offer them to someone else for
free. Several good websites now exist that allow
you to do this. You may also donate unwanted
items to a local charity or place of worship.
• Make really good
use of your waste compost bin or get one.
Keep a small container by the sink to put waste
items for the compost bin straight in (coffee
cans are good for this).
• Reduce toxic
waste by purchasing paints, pesticides
and other hazardous materials only in the
quantities needed, or by sharing leftovers. |
NEVER dump waste down
the street sewer drains!
 a
Volunteer and scout groups have stenciled this
warning on drains all over the watershed. If you
would have a group that would like to do this
project in your neighborhood or community,
please contact
The Conservation Foundation |
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