University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

Oct. 16, 2000	Contact: Jessica Rio 312-744-5716
	Mark Farina, 312-744-5903
	Bill Burton (UIC) 312-996-2269

FREE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION AT UIC

Many common household products Chicagoans collect in basements and garages, such as used motor oil, pesticides, paints and cleaning products, can be harmful to the environment if disposed of improperly.

The Chicago Department of Environment, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the University of Illinois at Chicago will offer a special collection day to help residents properly dispose of household hazardous wastes on Saturday, Oct. 21, at UIC's Parking Lot 5 1135 S. Morgan St. from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"Collecting hazardous household materials is an important part of managing Chicago's waste," says Environment Commissioner William Abolt. "Many Chicagoans contribute conscientiously to the hazardous waste collections in addition to their everyday recycling habits."

Chicago residents are asked to bring their materials to the collection center at UIC where they will be safely packaged and shipped for recycling or disposal.

This event will also be an opportunity for residents, small businesses and units of municipal government to dispose of their PCB and mercury waste at no cost. Call 1-888-SWEEP22 or visit: www.erc.uic.edu/cleansweep for more details.

"UIC is pleased to be partners with the city and state environmental agencies in helping Chicagoans protect the environment," said Stanton Delaney, Vice Chancellor for Administration at UIC.

The Household Hazardous Waste collection service is only for residential waste, and not for industrial or commercial users. No explosives, car batteries, smoke detectors, gas cylinders or agricultural waste will be accepted.

For more information about the City's Household Hazardous Waste Collection day, call 312-744-1614, or visit the Department of Environment's Web site at: www.cityofchicago.org/environment.

- UIC -