Laserfiche WebLink
• } <br /> COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MEMORANDUM <br /> MEMORANDUM NO. 98-99 <br /> DATE: August 11, 1998 <br /> TO: Honorable Mayor Terry M. Howley and City Council Members <br /> FROM: 7ames L. William , , City Manager _p <br /> Cecil A. Collins, Jr., Community Develo ment DirectorC�u� <br /> Sheri Adams, Solid Waste Coordinator�J <br /> Re: Paint Collection and Recycling/Disposal Event <br /> As part of a larger effort and commitment to provide services to Decatur residents, to respond to <br /> the needs of Decatur residents, and to solidify the commitment of the City to protect our <br /> environment and natural resources, approval to organize and implement a collection for old and <br /> unused paint is requested. <br /> Recognizing the need for environmentally sound management of household wastes, the Illinois <br /> Environmental Protection Agency(IEPA) sponsors Household Hazardous Waste Collections <br /> throughout the state. In 1996, the IEPA sponsored such a collection for Decatur/Macon County <br /> residents. According to the IEPA, the largest volume of waste brought to Household Hazardous <br /> Waste Collections was paint. Similarly, during the Decatur/Macon County Household Hazardous <br /> Waste Collection in 1996, 75 55-gallon drums or 25% of the total waste collected consisted of <br /> paint. Appro�mately 46% of the residents bringing waste to the collection brought paint. The <br /> IEPA has recently informed communities statewide that funding for the Household Hazardous <br /> Waste Collection program has been decreased and only one collection(due to a long term <br /> contract)will be held this year in the state. Therefore, staff is proposing to conduct a smaller <br /> scale, cost affordable collection of paint this fall. <br /> There is a need in our community to provide for the proper disposal of paint as well as to educate <br /> residents regarding paint disposal requirements and environmental concerns. In Illinois, literally <br /> thousands of gallons of old liquid paints are discarded into trash cans or down drains. These <br /> actions can overwhelm sewage systems, destroy septic tanks, and may make their way into <br /> surface and underground waters. As discussed above, paint is the most common waste collected <br /> and constitutes the largest volume of waste collected at collection events. Moreover, <br /> environmental awareness and concern has increased among Decatur residents. Staf�receives <br /> weekly inquiries regarding paint disposal. Residents want to properly dispose of paint (and other <br />