Have you had flood damage? Need advice on clean up and disposal?

You’re in luck, because Kane County Recycling Coordinator Jennifer Jarland has put together a Kane County Disaster Debris Management Guide — hot off the presses in hard copy, available online and ready for you to peruse at will.

The purpose of the guide — published by Kane County Division of Environmental and Water Resources — is to assist the residents whose homes are being affected by flood waters. The guide covers all of the items that people may need to dispose of in their cleanup efforts and offers guidance on collection and drop-off locations for each material.

“People usually have household items — aka debris — that will need to be disposed after a flood or other disaster, but not all items are allowed to be thrown out with the trash,” Jarland said. “Correct disposal methods for these materials are described in this new guide.”

A Guided Tour

What will you see in the Disaster Debris Management Guide?

Here’s a little “guided tour” — a sampler, if you will — of the essential information available. Readers will learn:

How to separate waste materials from recyclable materials

Individual property owners of the affected private property are responsible for separating and preparing all non-hazardous solid waste materials and residential recyclable material (p.2) for pickup by a Kane County licensed municipal solid waste hauler (p.1-2).

For example, it is recommended that recyclable materials such as metal (p.2-3), construction debris (p.4), and latex paint (p.6) be separated and recycled whenever possible. Household hazardous wastes (p.4-5) and syringes (p.6) should be separated and disposed of in a safe manner, either by special pick up or delivery to drop-off locations.

Large household appliances or “white goods” (p.3), electronics (p.3-4), tires (p.5) and landscape waste (p.5-6) are banned from landfills in Illinois and must be recycled.

How much it costs for special services

Additional fees may be charged for special pickup or drop-off services. Residents should always call a service, drop-off location or facility directly to confirm the cost of disposal, acceptable items and hours or other restrictions.

What safety precautions you need to take

The sorting of debris should be handled in a safe manner and personal protective clothing and equipment should be used, for example, disposable protective suits, gloves, eye protection, and face masks (i.e. dust or N95 mask).

Store all waste away from water wells and prevent vehicles and heavy equipment from driving or parking over any portion of a septic system.

How to coordinate clean-up efforts

Please be patient as clean-up efforts may take time. Collectively, residents and waste haulers can prepare and manage the debris in an orderly and safe way for recycling and disposal while protecting public health.

To decrease your costs, consider sharing a dumpster with a neighbor.

For More Info …

Go to www.countyofkane.org/recycling for more information, or contact Jennifer Jarland, Kane County’s recycling program coordinator, at recycle@countyofkane.org or 630-208-3841 with any questions.

SOURCE: Kane County Recycles news release