Welcome to the SWALCO website. Find out
more about the collections and programs we're offering using our
Quick Links menu on the right. Check out our new monthly
feature Green Days: Green Ways for Living,
a website guide with monthly articles featuring simple
tips that each one of us can do at home or work to live a more
"planet friendly" lifestyle, information on related
environmental events and other timely topics.
Celebrate America Recycles Day!
Save the Date - save the Earth!
SWALCO is sponsoring a special event, Recycle-O-Rama, in cooperation
with Warren-Newport Library, on Saturday, November 15 from 10:00 a.m to
1:00
p.m. at the library. Bring your old crayons, household
batteries, cell phones, eyeglasses, gym shoes, printer cartridges,
CD's and DVDs to be recycled. Bring your books and puzzles to swap.
Learn more about recycling and where these items go. Free reusable
bookbags, recycled “crazy crayons” and more (while supplies last).
Ten Thousand Villages of Grayslake will have a display and sale of
their fair-trade artisan crafts from around the world, made from
recycled materials. Take advantage of a unique shopping experience
just before the holidays. Other guests include Trader Joe’s,
featuring their organic foods, Warren High School Mother Earth
Concerned Students, Village of Gurnee, local Lions Clubs and others.
A free event, fun for all ages.
SWALCO has recently expanded its HCW (Household Chemical Waste)
Program. Residents now have two ways to dispose of their
household chemical waste at SWALCO's HCW Collections: SWALCO's
mobile events held at locations throughout Lake County, and our drop-off
collections (by appointment only) at our permanent facility
in Gurnee. Be one of the first to take advantage of this convenient
program. Use our Quick Links menu on the right to find out more.
Household Electronics Collection locations are available on the Quick Links menu. There are several
events at locations around the county. Please check back periodically
for a location near you. These events are only open to Lake County
residents. No business, institutional, not-for-profit,
or governmental education electronics will be accepted.
Purchase a Compost Bin for your
home. Compost bins are available at several locations around
Lake County as supplies last. Please visit our Compost Quick Link for
more information and for purchasing details.
 Attention
All Educators and Parents:
Have your School Earn a Beautiful Earth Flag!
If you are an educator, school administrator or interested
parent, please visit our School Education Corner online and find out
how your school can make a difference in the community, by
participating in a most rewarding program called Earth Flag. The
Program is designed to educate students, teachers, administrators
and parents about the importance of
waste reduction, reuse and recycling and the impact they can have on
our environment. Find
out how your school can earn its very own, beautiful Earth Flag.
If you would like to receive email announcements about
SWALCO programs and collections, please
sign up for the
SWALCO Announcements list in the Community Outreach section of the
website.
You can find out more information about the agency, including its
programs,
events,
members and meetings here.
If you are looking for information about how to get rid of something
specific, check out the
Disposal Guide. Here you can find out about trash, recycling, yardwaste, electronics, chemical
wastes and many other types of materials that can be difficult to throw away.
We also have a list of facilities that
provide solid waste disposal services, such as landfills, scrap
yards, and recycling centers.
About Us
In 1989, Lake County became the first county in Illinois to adopt a solid waste management plan in compliance with the Illinois Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act. The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) was formed in 1991 to implement the Lake County Solid Waste
Management Plan, and currently is comprised of members from 42
municipalities, including Lake County
and Great Lakes NTC, representing at least 85% of the county's population.
"Solid Waste Management" is the planned and organized management of
solid waste in an environmentally and economically sound manner. Solid
waste management encompasses management of the generation, storage,
collection, transfer, transportation, processing, reuse, recycling,
incineration, energy recover and landfilling of solid waste. It
includes all administrative, financial, educational, environmental,
legal, planning, marketing and operational aspects of the management
of solid wastes.
Specifically, SWALCO deals with "municipal waste,"
which refers to garbage, general household and commercial waste,
industrial lunchroom or office waste, landscape waste, and
construction or demolition debris.
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