State environmental officials have approved an intergovernmental agreement to support the regional hazardous waste site in Naperville, city officials announced this week.
Under the agreement, the state will pay for all the disposal costs of household hazardous wastes collected at the site through 2006, said Naperville spokesman Gary Karafiat. Last year, the state paid between $150,000 to $200,000 in disposal costs, he said.
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Renee Cipriano praised the city’s “willingness to address serious cost-control measures” as one reason for signing the agreement.
Among those measures was eliminating latex paint from the list of hazardous wastes. Latex paint can be solidified using kitty litter and thrown into the trash.
The regional household hazardous waste site, which opened in 1992, is located behind a fire station at 1971 Brookdale Road. In recent years, the state considered closing the facility down because it had grown too expensive to operate due to its increasing popularity, with some residents waiting in their cars up to 20 minutes to dispose of pool chemicals, varnishes and household cleaners.