33    WASTE REDUCTION IN ILLINOIS: AN OVERVIEW
Daniel D. Kraybill, Industrial Assistance Engineer
David L. Thomas, Director
Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center
State Water Survey Division
Savoy, Illinois 61874
INTRODUCTION
The Illinois Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center (HWRIC) has recognized that the
ultimate solution to our hazardous waste problems is to reduce the generation of waste at its source.
The Center has thus developed a program in Illinois to address this important issue, and components
of this program are discussed below. The US Congress has also sanctioned a change in approach to
waste management that experts in the field have seen coming for several years. This is reflected in a
statement of policy from the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA).
The Congress hereby declares it to be the national policy of the United States that, wherever
feasible, the generation of hazardous waste is to be reduced or eliminated as expeditiously
as possible. Waste that is nevertheless generated should be treated, stored, or disposed of so
as to minimize the present and future threat to human health and the environment.1
However, as Joel Hirschorn of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) stated at
a waste reduction conference in June of 1986, "For twenty years we've been saying that waste
reduction is a top priority, and we haven't been doing anything about it."2 When Congress passed
HSWA and the President signed it into law, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) was required to submit to congress a report on waste minimization by October 1, 1986. At
the same time OTA prepared a report on waste reduction. Waste minimization was defined in the
USEPA report as ". . . any source reduction or recycling activity undertaken by the generator . . .",3
and included such activities as on-site or off-site recycling, volume reduction, and in some cases,
waste treatment. Waste reduction was defined in the OTA report as "in-plant practices that reduce,
avoid, or eliminate the generation of hazardous waste".4 The OTA report emphasizes the need for
changes in production methods and processes rather than recycling or treatment of wastes that have
already been generated. The OTA definition of waste reduction follows closely what many call source
reduction.
Using data from public sources we examine in this paper some of the programs undertaken in
Illinois to address waste reduction and minimization issues, and examine existing waste reduction and
minimization efforts undertaken by Illinois industry. It is our contention that although waste reduction is occurring in Illinois industries, much can still be done and that education and information
dissemination can be an important component of a state's waste reduction program.
ILLINOIS PROGRAMS
In response to concerns about hazardous waste in Illinois, Governor James R. Thompson and the
Illinois legislature established HWRIC in 1984 as part of the state's Chemical Safety Initiative. A brief
history of the Center and its programs has been given by Thomas, Miller, and Kamin.5 HWRIC was
established within the Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) with a well-
defined mission. The new Center would combine research and education; information collection,
analysis, and dissemination; and direct technical assistance to industry, agriculture, and communities
in a multidisciplinary effort to help solve Illinois' hazardous waste problems.
The Center was also charged with two specific objectives that relate directly to waste reduction: 1)
reducing the volume of wastes generated and the threat they pose to human health and the environment; and 2) helping develop and implement a comprehensive hazardous waste management plan for
Illinois.
Having established waste reduction and minimization as a priority, HWRIC has initiated the
following activities to achieve its goals:
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