West Cook News

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and officials from South Suburban College (SSC) marked the beginning of construction for a new Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facility. The $4.6 million project is a joint effort between the Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability (DES) and SSC, aiming to provide a permanent drop-off site for residents to safely dispose of hazardous materials.

The HHW facility will be situated next to the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM Center), which opened at SSC on Earth Day 2023. Residents will be able to dispose of items such as household chemicals, rechargeable batteries, oil-based paints, solvents, medications, fluorescent light bulbs, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, auto fluids, herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, aerosol cans and various lawn and pool chemicals at the new facility located at 15800 State St., South Holland, IL 60473. It is expected to open in the fall.

This new facility will complement the CHaRM Center where residents can already dispose of electronics and other recyclable materials. Since its inception, the CHaRM Center has served over 3,300 residents and collected nearly 2.5 million pounds of materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.

“Cook County is excited to continue our partnership with South Suburban College to provide residents in the Southland with access to a facility that will allow them to safely dispose of hazardous materials,” said President Preckwinkle. “The HHW facility and CHaRM Center address environmental impacts as well as health concerns in a region with historically high pollution and open dumping issues.”

Dr. Lynette Stokes, president of South Suburban College added: “South Suburban College is proud to partner with Cook County on this transformative initiative that directly benefits the health and wellbeing of our communities.”

Funding for both facilities comes from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations by Cook County aimed at supporting environmental sustainability efforts.