Environment and Sustainability
Department Mission
To foster healthy, resilient and thriving communities by improving the quality of life, protecting the environment and promoting sustainability and environmental justice for all Cook County residents and stakeholders.
Mandates and Key Activities
- Enforce Cook County Environmental Control Ordinance
- Implement Illinois EPA cooperative agreements on pollution control, inspection
- Administer U.S. EPA, DOE and other grant agreements
- Permit and inspect industrial and commercial fuel-burning equipment, asbestos abatement, demolition, solid waste facilities, open burning and facilities that store hazardous chemicals for environmental compliance
- Investigate citizen complaints and ordinance violations
- Reduce waste in energy, materials and water
- Prepare solid waste plan for suburban Cook County
- Monitor air quality for the U.S. EPA
- Manage sustainability and climate resiliency initiatives that support residents and municipalities
Permits
You may apply for permits online – see the menu at right on this page. If you need help, email contact information can be found on each page.
Environmental Complaints
You may register environmental complaints for suburban and unincorporated Cook County by emailing environment@cookcountyil.gov or calling 312-603-8200, option 5.
Sustainability in Cook County
Have you seen Cook County’s sustainability webpage?
At Cook County we want to lead by example. On the page you’ll find information about County projects to lower our environmental footprint and our costs.
Highlights and Announcements
Switch Together Cook County
Cook County is pleased to support Switch Together, which partners with local governments and nonprofits to help homeowners and small businesses secure a quality rooftop solar installation at a competitive price. The program also offers discounted prices for optional add-ons such as battery storage and electric vehicle chargers.
Switch Together is designed to help residents understand their solar options and save money. The Switch Together Cook County program is open for registrations, and interested residents can visit the Switch Together website to sign up for newsletter updates.
Using group buying and the expertise of nonprofits Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) and Citizens Utility Board (CUB), Switch Together ensures that participants get a great deal and provides the information needed to make an informed decision.
For more information, please click on the link below.
https://www.cookcountyil.gov/switchtogether
Earth Month Recycling
April is Earth Month, which is the perfect time to remember that even small changes can make a big difference for our planet.
One easy way to help is by safely recycling household chemicals and old electronics. Items like cleaning supplies, paint and pesticides can be harmful to the environment if tossed in the trash, and electronics like computers and phones often contain materials that can pollute the soil and water. By taking these items to your local recycling center, you’re helping keep dangerous substances out of landfills and giving valuable materials a chance to be reused.
This Earth Month, why not take a few minutes to gather up those old batteries, unused chemicals or outdated electronics sitting around your house? Dropping them off at a recycling center is a quick and easy way to show some love for the Earth and inspire others to do the same.
Places to Take Hard to Recycle Materials
Cook County: Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM Center)
City of Chicago: Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility
Certificate of Operation (COO)
Annual payment for a Certificate of Operation (COO) is required if your commercial or industrial facility operates any fuel-burning equipment, process equipment, storage tanks or air pollution control devices. All payments for your COO shall be submitted through the electronic permit processing portal. Further details can be found here.
Please contact certificateofoperations@cookcountyil.gov or call at 312-603-8200, option 3 if you have any questions.
New Demolition Debris Diversion Reporting
Starting in May 2025, Cook County will transition from Green Halo to a new electronic system for managing and tracking demolition debris diversion plans and waste tickets. While Green Halo has been a valuable resource, the County is implementing a new 3D reporting system to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. This new system will be integrated with the current permitting process, eliminating the need to visit another site.
We understand that this change may require adjustments to current practices, and we are committed to supporting impacted contractors throughout the transition.
Please stay tuned for future communications regarding the new 3D reporting system. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at asbestosdemo@cookcountyil.gov.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued commitment to sustainable demolition practices in Cook County.
Press and Media Inquiries:
Natalia Derevyanny
natalia.derevyanny@cookcountyil.gov
Maria Phelan
maria.phelan@cookcountyil.gov