Household hazardous waste collection event set for June 25 in Crystal Lake

A free one-day household hazardous waste collection event will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 25 at Prairie Ridge High School, 6000 Dvoark Drive in Crystal Lake.

The collection event, organized by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the McHenry County Department of Health, is free.

Registration, which is required to attend the event, is open to all Illinois residents and can be completed at MCDH.info. If unable to register online, contact the McHenry County health department at 815-334-4585.

Time slots lasting 15 minutes are available, and attendees should not arrive any earlier or later than that window.

Carpooling or designating one person to bring household hazardous waste from several households is encouraged.

Acceptable items include chemical cleaners, oil-based paints, thinners, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, kerosene, weed killers, insecticides and pesticides, and other similar household hazardous products. Fluorescent and other high-intensity discharge lamps and bulbs may also be brought to the collection.

Items that will not be accepted include latex paint, explosives, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, needles, Drug Enforcement Administration-controlled medications, agricultural chemicals and business wastes. Latex paint is not hazardous waste. It can be dried or solidified and placed in the regular garbage.

Go to the McHenry County Green Guide to find locations that offer latex paint recycling.

The health department and Heritage Environmental Services has the right to refuse any waste if it is thought to be commercial, business or agricultural. A complete list of household hazardous wastes that are and are not accepted is available online at MCDH.info and the IEPA’s website.