Household waste station in danger of closing

If you want to throw out those old household cleaners or dump out some used car oil, you'd better leave it to the experts -- but you might have to drive to Chicago or Rockford to find them.

The only household hazardous waste facility in the area is at Fire Station No. 4, at 1979 Brookdale Road in Naperville, and it could be gone after 2009 if officials don't figure out a way to shore up a $25,000 gap in its operating budget.

The facility is facing the shortfall after Will County officials recently nixed funds from their 2008-2009 budget, according to Beth Lang, Naperville Department of Public Works strategic services manager.

Dean Olson, the Will County waste service manager, said the county is planning on building its own hazardous waste facility southeast of Joliet.

"We needed to reserve those funds for our plant," Olson said. "In a couple of months we'll have a better idea of what the costs are for the plant. But for now, we need to save the funds."

It costs about $180,000 a year to run the Naperville plant. The city of Naperville provides more than $20,000 to help run the facility. DuPage County donates $100,000. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the city of Aurora, and Kane County also contribute.

Nevertheless, city officials will need to look for more funding partners, considering its heavy regional use.

"It's a regional problem, not just a city problem," Councilman Doug Krause said. "I think we'll have some very receptive people from the area - especially since there is only three in the whole state. There are some one-day events that are set up at different locations in Chicago and around here, but those are very expensive to set up. You're always setting up and tearing down."

Still, the city cannot directly solicit funds from other municipalities, Lang said. Because DuPage County is a funding partner, the city would be "double-charging" municipalities that are within the county.

"But if we couldn't collect the funds, I would support a proposal to the city for (more) funds to keep the plant going," Krause said. "It's been operating since 1992 and it's very important to have a facility like that in our area."

The drop-off facility provides a safe place for such products as oil-based paint, stain, varnish, solvents, auto fluids, aerosol cans, kitchen cleanser, pool chemicals, pesticides, batteries and expired prescription drugs. When hazardous material is improperly stored or disposed of, it can cause damage to property or result in injury. Lang said workers at the facility ask people for their zip code prior to disposing of the hazardous material to keep tabs on the number of out-of-town visitors who use the plant.

The plant handles about 13,000 carloads a year. Since it has been open, it has disposed of 7 million pounds of waste.

Normally, volunteer workers help run the plant, which is open 12 hours a week. Now the plant will only be open for 10 hours a week to help reduce costs.

"We'll just have to run it more conservatively," Lang said.

In the long run, however, Lang said the city also will turn to private corporations to form funding partnerships. Partners for Clean Choice Inc. has already agreed to donate $1,500 from the proceeds from its Cool Ride-Clean Choice hybrid vehicle event that took place last weekend at Naper Settlement.

But is charity really the long-term solution?

"We would love to secure funding to ensure the future of this program. That way, we can have some comfort level," Lang said. "But it's very tentative right now and we're going to do what we can to make ends meet for the next year."

Comment at www.foxvalleyvillagessun.com