Section 2800.10  Applicability of Requirements

 

After extensive public comment, the Council has adopted these guidelines for green cleaning policies in elementary and secondary schools in Illinois.  The requirements set forth in this Section of the guidelines must be utilized in all school buildings unless an exemption is obtained, as described in this Part.  These guidelines must be utilized for all in-house and contracted cleaning services in the affected facilities.

 

Section 2800.20  Definitions

 

Act means the Green Cleaning Schools Act [105 ILCS 140].

 

Bathroom Cleaners are products used to clean hard surfaces in a bathroom, such as counters, walls, floors, fixtures, basins, tubs or tile.

 

Carpet Cleaners are products used to eliminate dirt and stains on rugs and carpeting.

 

Council means the Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council created by the Green Governments Illinois Act [20 ILCS 3954] and authorized by the Green Cleaning Schools Act to adopt guidelines for this program.

 

Disinfectants are products used on hard inanimate surfaces and objects to destroy or irreversibly inactivate infectious fungi and bacteria, but not necessarily their spores.

 

Environmentally Sensitive Cleaning Products are cleaning and maintenance products that minimize adverse impacts on human health and the environment, while cleaning effectively.

 

General Purpose and Hard Floor Surface Cleaners are products used for routine cleaning of hard surfaces, including impervious flooring such as concrete or tile.  This category does not include products intended primarily to strip, polish or wax floors, and it does not include cleaners intended primarily for cleaning toilet bowls, dishes, laundry, upholstery or wood.

 

Glass, Window and Mirror Cleaners are products used to clean glass, windows, mirrors or metallic or polished surfaces.

 

Hand Cleaners and Hand Soaps are products used for routine, non-specialized hand cleaning.

 

Paper Products are paper towels or other paper used for cleaning and do not include toilet paper, facial tissue, or paper towels used for drying hands.

 

Sanitizers are products used to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate, microorganisms from the inanimate environment to levels considered safe as determined by public health codes or regulations.

 

School, under the Act, means all elementary and secondary public school and all elementary and secondary non-public schools with 50 or more students. [105 ILCS 140/10]

 

School Buildings are:

 

Any structure suitable for use as a classroom, including a school facility such as a laboratory, library, school eating facility, or facility used for the preparation of food.

 

Any gymnasium or other facility specially designed for athletic or recreational activities for an academic course in physical education.

 

Any other facility whose primary use is for the instruction or housing of students, or for the administration of educational or research programs.

 

Any maintenance, storage or utility facility, including any hallway essential to the operation of any facility described in this definition of "school building".

 

Section 2800.30  Cleaning Supply Purchases with Pre-Qualification

 

a)         The institutional (school) cleaning market is composed of several categories of cleaning supplies.  After review and evaluation, the Council has determined that a sufficient selection of cost-competitive, effective and environmentally sensitive cleaning supplies is available in each of the following categories:

 

1)         Bathroom Cleaners

 

2)         Carpet Cleaners

 

3)         General Purpose and Hard Floor Surface Cleaners

 

4)         Glass, Window and Mirror Cleaners

 

5)         Hand Cleaners and Hand Soaps

 

6)         Paper Products

 

b)         For the aforementioned cleaning supply categories, any school may be deemed in compliance with the Act if the school solely uses products that are:

 

1)         Certified by Green Seal, 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 827, Washington DC, 20036-5525, 202/872-6400, 202/872-4324 (fax), www.greenseal.org.

 

2)         Certified by Environmental Choice EcoLogo Program, 107 Sparks St., 2^nd Floor, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIA 0H3, www.ecologo.org.

 

3)         For chemicals: Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Design for the Environment (DfE) Formulator Program, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, USEPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Mail Code 7406-M, Washington DC, 20460, www.epa.gov/dfe/ contact.htm.

 

4)         For paper products: In compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for Commercial and Industrial Sanitary Tissue (40 CFR 247, 2007, no later amendments or editions), www.epa.gov/cpg.htm.

 

c)         Schools must use the supplies as intended by the manufacturer and applicable certification body.  The schools must follow all manufacturer/certifier guidelines, as well as the guidelines in this Section.

 

d)         For all chemical products, the schools must use the concentrated version, if available, and not a ready-to-use version.  Consumption of cleaning products in concentrated form reduces the amount of container material, packaging and fuel used in the transport of the product.  As a result, use of a concentrated product both conserves natural resources and reduces waste. 

 

e)         The Council is not proposing requirements for any supply categories not listed in subsection (a) due to the limited availability of such products, cost or questions about efficacy.  The Council will continue to review other supply categories for later inclusion in this Part.

 

Section 2800.40  Cleaning Supply Purchases with Alternative Qualification

 

a)         Although the Council has determined that there is an adequate supply of pre-qualified cleaning supplies at competitive prices in the product categories listed in Section 2800.30(a), schools may procure and use cleaning supplies in the listed categories that are qualified through an alternative method.  More specifically, schools may procure and use cleaning supplies qualified as environmentally sensitive through alternative means, provided the products meet the criteria set forth in this Section.

 

b)         Schools may procure and use non-pre-qualified cleaning supplies provided that the manufacturer or distributor of those supplies provides alternative qualification of environmental sensitivity by providing the Council with independent documentation verifying that the products meet the criteria of at least one of the Green Seal standards (GS-37 or GS-41 for chemicals; GS-9 for paper) or EcoLogo standards (CCD (Certification Criteria Document)-104, CCD-146 or CCD-148 for chemicals; CCD-86 for paper).

 

c)         The verification must come in the form of testing data provided by one or more independent third-party laboratories.  Any laboratories that maintain accreditation meeting the standards of ISO/IEC 17025 (International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission; 1, ch. de voie-Creuse, Case postale 56 CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland, telephone: +41 22 749 01 11; www.iso.org; 2005, no later amendments or editions included) may conduct the required testing.  The Council shall post the required tests for each of the qualification standards on its website.

 

d)         The Council shall charge no fee to the party seeking alternative qualification.  The party seeking alternative qualification shall bear all laboratory and other costs necessary to obtain the required test results.

 

e)         A properly submitted verification form shall entitle the product to alternative qualification for a period of no less than one year.  Unlimited automatic renewals of the qualification shall be accepted at no charge for additional one-year periods provided that there have been no substantial changes in either the relevant criteria for qualification of that product, or in the formulation of that product.  If substantial changes have occurred, a renewal of alternative qualification requires new laboratory verification.

 

f)         A school may procure and use any pre-qualified or alternatively qualified cleaning supplies in meeting the requirements set forth in the Act.  The Council will post the list of pre-qualified and alternatively qualified cleaning supplies on its website.

 

Section 2800.50  Exemption from Required Practices

 

a)         Existing Supplies

A school may deplete its existing cleaning and maintenance supply stocks (existing on May 9, 2008).  [105 ILCS 140/10]

 

b)         Economic Feasibility

 

1)         The Council has found sufficient competition for the categories of environmentally sensitive cleaning supplies set forth in Section 2800.30(a) to ensure reasonable costs.  However, some schools may find that certain green cleaning supplies are not available in their geographic area or are cost-prohibitive.

 

2)         The Act allows individual schools to forego establishing a green cleaning policy, including but not limited to the purchase and use of environmentally sensitive cleaning supplies, if to do so would not be "economically feasible" for specified product categories.  Any school in such a circumstance may provide a written notification to the Council that implementation of a green cleaning policy for a product category is not economically feasible.  A school seeking exemption must use the form provided in Appendix B and the Council's website.

 

3)         After notification, the school may continue using its non-green cleaning policy for the specified product category.  The exemption must be renewed annually until such time as green cleaning becomes economically feasible for the product category.  An exemption must be sought for each school, although multiple schools in a district may apply together.

 

4)         To claim a product category exemption due to economic infeasibility, the school must provide:

 

A)        The price of the current cleaning supply;

 

B)        If applicable, the dilution factor for the current cleaning supply in use;

 

C)        The prices of three comparable green cleaning supplies; and

 

D)        If applicable, the dilution factors of those three comparable green cleaning supplies.

 

5)         If the costs of the three comparable green cleaning supplies, accounting for dilution factors, are higher than the cost of the current product in use, the Council will find economic infeasibility for that supply category.  The finding of economic infeasibility is specific to the supply category and the applicant school.

Section 2800.APPENDIX A   Application for Alternative Qualification

 

State of Illinois

Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council

 

Green Cleaning Schools Act Program

 

 

APPLICATION FOR ALTERNATIVE QUALIFICATION

 

For the cleaning supply categories listed in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2800.30(a), schools may procure and use non-pre-qualified cleaning supplies provided that they meet the requirements of the Green Cleaning Schools Act and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2800.40, summarized as follows.

 

The manufacturer or distributor of a non-pre-qualified product must seek alternative qualification of environmental sensitivity by providing the Green Governments Coordinating Council (the "Council") with independent documentation verifying that the product meets the criteria of at least one of the Green Seal standards (GS-37 or GS-41 for chemicals; GS-9 for paper) or EcoLogo standards (CCD-104, CCD-146 or CCD-148 for chemicals; CCD-86 for paper).

 

The verification must come in the form of testing data provided by one or more independent third-party laboratories.  Any laboratories that maintain accreditation meeting the standards of ISO/IEC 17025 may conduct the required testing.

 

The Council shall charge no fee to the party seeking alternative qualification.  The party seeking alternative qualification shall bear all laboratory and other costs necessary to obtain the required test results.

 

A properly submitted verification application and documentation shall entitle the product to alternative qualification for a period of no less than one year.  Unlimited automatic renewals of the qualification shall be accepted at no charge for additional one-year periods provided that there have been no substantial changes in either the relevant criteria for qualification of that product, or in the formulation of that product.  If substantial changes have occurred, a renewal of alternative qualification requires new laboratory verification.

 

Applicants must complete one application per product seeking alternative qualification.  Please attach all documentation of test results to the completed copy of this application.  Submit all pages to the Council in a single envelope.

 

Mail the completed application and supporting documentation to:

 

Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council

c/o Lt. Governor's Office

100 West Randolph Street, Suite 15-200

Chicago, Illinois 60601

 

Date of Application:

 

Company Information

Company Name:

Description of distribution and/or manufacturing activities:

Street Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

General Phone:

Web Site:

 

 

Primary Contact Information
Name:
Title:				Phone:
Email:

 

 

Cleaning Supply Information
Name of product seeking alternative qualification:

 

Product category (check only one):

 

q  Bathroom Cleaner q  Carpet Cleaner q  General Purpose and Hard Floor Surface Cleaner

q  Glass, Window and Mirror Cleaner q  Hand Cleaners and Hand Soap q  Paper Product

 

Documentation attached proves adherence to the following standard (check only one):

 

Green Seal q  GS-9 Paper Towels and Paper Napkins q  GS-37 Industrial & Institutional Cleaners q  GS-41 Industrial & Institutional Hand Cleaners

EcoLogo q  CCD-86 Hand Towels q  CCD-104 Hand Cleaners − Industrial & Institutional q  CCD-146 Hardsurface Cleaners q  CCD-148 Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners

 

Refer to the Council's website for copies of the standards listed above.

 

Laboratory Information

Name of Laboratory Organization:

Street Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

General Phone:

Web Site:

Contact Name:

Title:

Phone:

Email:

 

If multiple laboratories are used for testing, please provide the information above for each laboratory on a separate attached page.

Section 2800.APPENDIX B   Exemption Notification

 

State of Illinois

Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council

 

Green Cleaning Schools Act Program

 

 

EXEMPTION NOTIFICATION

 

The Green Cleaning Schools Act [105 ILCS140] allows individual schools to forego green cleaning if to do so would not be "economically feasible" for specified product categories.  Any school in such a circumstance may complete this application to provide a written notification to the Council that implementation of a green cleaning policy for a product category is not economically feasible.

 

After notification, the school may continue using its non-green cleaning policy for the specified product categories.  The exemption must be renewed annually until such time as green cleaning becomes economically feasible for the product category.  An exemption must be sought for each school, although multiple schools in a district may apply together.

 

To claim a product category exemption due to economic infeasibility, the school must provide to the Council:

 

1.         The price of the current cleaning supply

2.         If applicable, the dilution factor for the current cleaning supply in use

3.         The prices of three comparable green cleaning supplies

4.         If applicable, the dilution factors of those three comparable green cleaning supplies

 

If the costs of the three comparable green cleaning supplies, accounting for dilution factors, are higher than the cost of the current product in use, the Council will find economic infeasibility for that supply category.  The finding of economic infeasibility is specific to the supply category and the applicant school.

 

Exemption notification must be postmarked by June 30 and will be valid for the following fiscal year (July 1 through June 30).  By law, schools must submit notification annually.

 

Schools are required to maintain the appropriate documentation to substantiate the data reported in this application.  However, schools are not required to submit any additional documentation with their notification.  The Council reserves the right to request documentation at any later date within the current fiscal year.

 

Mail the completed notification to:

 

Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council

c/o Lt. Governor's Office

100 West Randolph Street, Suite 15-200

Chicago, Illinois 60601

 

Date of Notification:

 

School Information

Applicant School Name:

Co-Applicant School Name(s):

District:

Street Address:

City:

Zip Code:

Principal Name:

School Type (public, private, parochial, charter):

 

Primary Contact Information
Name:
Title:							Phone:
Email:

 

Category: Bathroom Cleaners

 

Current Product:

Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Three Comparable Qualified Products:

(1)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(2)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(3)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Category: Carpet Cleaners

 

Current Product:

Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Three Comparable Qualified Products:

(1)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(2)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(3)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Category: General Purpose and Hard Floor Surface Cleaners

 

Current Product:

Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

(1)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(2)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(3)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Category: Glass, Window and Mirror Cleaners

 

Current Product:

Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Three Comparable Qualified Products:

(1)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(2)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(3)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Category: Hand Cleaners and Hand Soaps

 

Current Product:

Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Three Comparable Qualified Products:

(1)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(2)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:
(3)  Name:
Price:				Per Quantity:
Dilution Factor:

 

Category: Paper Products

 

Current Product:

Name:
Price:			Per Quantity:

 

Three Comparable Qualified Products:

(1)  Name:
Price:			Per Quantity:
(2)  Name:
Price:			Per Quantity:
(3)  Name:
Price:			Per Quantity: