January/February Newsletter, 2026

As a member of the Illinois Counties Solid Waste Management Association (ILCSWMA), you are part of a dedicated network of professionals committed to advancing solid waste management practices across Illinois. Enjoy access to valuable resources, networking opportunities, and the latest updates in the field.

An ILCSWMA membership runs from January to December each year, which means it's time to renew or become a member of ILCSWMA. Membership rates remain the same as last year because the BOD works for organizations just like yours and knows about budget constraints. Please renew or become a member by March 15, 2026.

When you fill out the form, you will be asked to add others in your county/organization/business that wish to be included in the one-fee membership. Only add those staff persons who are new this year. 

Membership Categories:

Full Membership - $130

To be eligible for Full Membership, an organization must be a unit of local government, either a county, municipality, or township. This annual fee includes membership for any interested persons in the organization, not just one employee. Full members are eligible to vote on ILCSWMA organizational matters. 

Affiliate Membership - $100

Affiliate members of ILCSWMA include State agencies, consulting & engineering firms, colleges & universities, Keep Illinois Beautiful affiliates, community groups and businesses. This fee includes membership of your entire organization. Affiliate members include organizations, which are interested in Illinois solid waste management, but are not eligible for Full membership. 

Retiree Membership - $25

Have you retired from a member organization but want to stay involved and keep informed about solid waste issues in the state? There is a special rate of $25 for retirees. With this Membership, you will be able to attend conferences at the affiliate rate, in addition to receiving quarterly newsletters and other membership benefits.

As a note, the US EPA and IL EPA staff are considered Supportive Partners for being a necessary, on-going resource and receive a complimentary membership. 

Click on the button to fill out a form and submit your payment via credit card or get details for mailing a check. If you have any questions about membership, please email Mary S. Allen at info@ilcswma.org.

Thank you to everyone that attended the Illinois Circularity Conference on October 14–15 in East Peoria. Special thanks to our partners, the Illinois Recycling Foundation and SWANA Land of Lincoln Chapter.

Over the two-day conference, industry specialists from across Illinois and beyond compared notes on what's working: strengthening data and measurement, building resilient end markets, scaling organics programs, tackling plastics and packaging, improving public engagement, and aligning funding with real-world needs. Many of you left with new peers to call, tools to try, and ideas to pilot.

Speaker presentations and conference photos are available. Click on the links below for details.

The Illinois EPA is excited to partner with Recycle Coach to offer an innovative technology platform at no cost that will provide every Illinois resident in all 6,835 units of local government a suite of holistic, locally-tailored, and easily accessible tools to increase and improve recycling throughout the state and decrease the amount of recyclable materials sent to Illinois landfills. Contact Liz Kunkle, Recycle Coach’s Customer Success Manager for Illinois, at lkunkle@recyclecoach.com to get started.

PaintCare launched its Illinois program operations in December 2025. 

The Illinois program will have over 250 drop-off sites across the state through partnerships with paint retail stores and local government facilities. PaintCare aims to recover 1 million gallons of leftover paint in the Prairie State each year once the program matures. 

PaintCare makes it easy to recycle leftover paint. Unused or leftover paint is a major focus of product stewardship efforts. That's why over a decade ago ACA created PaintCare, to ensure effective operation and efficient industry-run administration of paint product stewardship programs on behalf of all architectural paint manufacturers in the United States. Since its founding, PaintCare has launched operations in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Learn more about PaintCare here.

Beginning January 1, 2026, all single-use and most rechargeable batteries will be accepted at retail and government locations throughout the state at no out-of-pocket cost to the consumer, thanks to the Illinois Battery Stewardship Law, IL EPA, and the Battery Network (formerly Call2Recycle). Batteries are prohibited from being tossed in the garbage and must be properly recycled. For a drop-off location, visit batterynetwork.org.

Marta Keane recently joined the Battery Network (formerly called Call2Recycle) as the Regional State Stewardship Manager and will be managing the Illinois battery program going forward.

As many of you know, Marta recently retired from Will County, where she spent many years working in recycling and materials management and played a key role in developing and supporting collection programs across the region.

In her new role, Marta will serve as the primary point of contact for Illinois program coordination, partner outreach, and ongoing stewardship activities. Her experience working closely with local governments, household hazardous waste programs, and collection partners brings valuable perspective as we continue to support and strengthen battery recycling access across the state.

Please reach out to Marta with any questions at mkeane@batterynetwork.org or (678) 325-5729.

Learn more about the Portable and Medium-Format Battery Stewardship Act.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a technical assistance session regarding the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act, 415 ILCS 15. We encourage you to attend virtually or in person, and invite potential advisory committee members for your county’s waste management plan and recycling program. Advisory committees under Section 5 include representatives from municipalities within the county, citizen organizations, industry, the private solid waste management industry operating within the county, local recyclers and any other persons deemed appropriate by the county.

We will discuss the requirements of the Act, including how to plan recycling and leaf composting programs. A portion of the session will provide a brainstorming space for the counties to share ideas and consider joint planning partnerships. If you are especially proud or otherwise willing to share details of your county’s plan, let us know! Otherwise, we will find examples to present to the group.

The meeting will be held January 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM. A Webex link is located below this message. Room 1.013 has been reserved at Illinois EPA headquarters.

As limited space is available, please RSVP to EPA.Recycling@illinois.gov by Wednesday, January 21, if you are coming in person. 

____________________________________________________________________________

• Join from the meeting link:

https://illinois.webex.com/illinois/j.php?MTID=m27f3c9ef8382ee80c65238d6ef668280

• Join by meeting number:

Meeting number (access code): 2632 670 1534

Meeting password: MnrcgpJc493

• Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only):  

+1-312-535-8110,,26326701534## United States Toll (Chicago)  

+1-415-655-0002,,26326701534## US Toll 

• Join by phone:: 

+1-312-535-8110 United States Toll (Chicago)  

+1-415-655-0002 US Toll  

Global call-in numbers

• Join from a video system or application:

Dial 26326701534@illinois.webex.com 

You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number

The Illinois Recycling Foundation is working with IEPA and the IL Electronics Manufacturers Clearinghouse to host a free workshop about the Consumer Electronics Recycling Act (CERA) program. This year, we will also be sharing information about the Battery Stewardship Act recycling program.

This event is designed for local governments, recyclers, and industry stakeholders. Lunch is provided for in-person participants.

What You'll Learn:

• The nuts and bolts of the CERA program
• Changes from the most recent amendments to the Act
• Program implementation examples and group plan/recycler perspectives
• Call2Recycle's progress with all-battery collection sites and how Counties (and municipal partners) can get involved

Volunteers Needed! — We're looking for volunteers among lower-population Counties that host only one or two electronics events per year to share their experiences implementing the CERA program. If you're willing to do this, please get in touch with Nathan Mihelich at executivedirector@illinoisrecycles.org.

Register below for both in-person and remote attendance. This is a free event - no registration fee.

Join Seven Generations Ahead and partners on February 2nd at 11 am (CST) for an inside look at the Feed and Conserve Movement in Illinois. Hear from the experts about why SB2852 needs your support NOW:

The Policy: Hear from Senator Adriane Johnson on why Illinois needs food scrap diversion legislation

The Evidence: Take a deep dive into three new studies:

• Bright Beat’s findings on food donation in Northern Cook County
• Dr. Howard Rosing’s and DePaul University’s evaluation of grocery store waste across Illinois
• NRDC’s report on the economic impact of food conservation
• The Mission: Learn how advocacy, education, and community involvement can help turn SB2852 into law this legislative session

STAY CONNECTED

Please send in information to share with the membership about a new program, data from a collection event, or anything pertaining to successful waste prevention initiatives or enforcement. If you are a full member and have others in your department that would like to receive this newsletter, please send an email request to ILCSWMA's administrative coordinator, Mary S. Allen, at info@ilcswma.org.