Illinois White Goods Law: Can You Throw Away an Appliance? (415 ILCS 5/22.28)
Updated
Short answer
The statute
Section 22.28(a) of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act: "No person shall knowingly offer for collection or collect white goods for the purpose of disposal by landfilling unless the white good components have been removed." Section 22.28(b) bars landfills from accepting white goods except under listed conditions, including removal at the landfill under an approved operating plan (415 ILCS 5/22.28). A companion section bars scrap dealers and salvage yards from knowingly managing white goods that still contain the components in violation of the Act (415 ILCS 5/22.28a).
What counts
Illinois EPA: white goods include refrigerators, freezers, ranges, water heaters, air conditioners, humidifiers and other similar domestic and commercial large appliances; those without components removed were banned from landfills on July 1, 1994; the components are mercury switches, CFC refrigerant gas (Freon) and PCBs (Illinois EPA, Illinois EPA).
What that means locally
Haulers enforce it. Gill's Freeport Disposal, which serves Winnebago and Pecatonica, excludes appliances from free bulk pickup as landfill-banned items, and Roscoe's bulk program excludes white goods entirely. Rockford requires a technician's refrigerant-free certificate. See disposal by town.
Quick answers
What are white goods in Illinois?
Refrigerators, freezers, ranges, water heaters, air conditioners, humidifiers and other similar large appliances, according to Illinois EPA.
When did Illinois ban appliances from landfills?
White goods without their components removed were banned from landfills on July 1, 1994.
Rather have someone fix it?
Tell us the appliance, the brand, the model number and what it is doing. A local technician calls back with a time and a price before any work starts.