According to ISSA reports, the Illinois Green Cleaning Schools Guidelines and Specifications (“Guidelines”) have been published as final by the Office of the Lt. Governor. All Illinois private and public schools (K – 12) must comply with the mandatory provisions of the Guidelines effective May 9.

Issued pursuant to the Illinois Green Cleaning Schools Act, the Guidelines set forth a series of mandatory and recommended actions designed to give Illinois schools clear direction in purchasing and using green cleaning products as well as implementing a green cleaning program, as required by the Act.

ISSA played a key role in the publication of the Guidelines. ISSA Director of Legislative Affairs Bill Balek co-chaired the product policy committee that was tasked with the responsibility of drafting the green cleaning product specifications.

Mandatory Requirements
The requirements set forth in the mandatory section of the guidelines must be applied in all Illinois school buildings, and must be followed by in house cleaning professionals as well as contract cleaning services.

The mandatory section covers the following product categories:
• Bathroom Cleaners
• Carpet Cleaners
• General Purpose and Hard Floor Surface Cleaners
• Glass, Window and Mirror Cleaners
• Hand Cleaners and Hand Soaps
• Paper Products

In regard to the cleaning product formulations in the aforementioned categories, schools may comply with the Act by using products that are certified/recognized by:
• Green Seal
• U.S. EPA Design for the Environment
• Environmental Choice EcoLogo Program

For jan/san paper products schools will be deemed in compliance with the Act if they use products that comply with the U.S. EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines for Commercial and Industrial Sanitary Tissue, or which are certified by Green Seal or the Environmental Choice EcoLogo Program.

In addition, schools may procure and use cleaning supplies in the above referenced categories that are not certified or recognized by any of the aforementioned eco-label organizations provided that the manufacturer or distributor of those supplies provides alternative qualification of “environmental sensitivity” by providing 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).

Product Listings. The Office of the Lt. Governor will soon list on its website (www.greensolutions.il.gov) green cleaning products in the categories covered in the mandatory section only. The list will be based on products listed by the above three eco-label organizations on their respective websites. Products qualified by independent laboratories must be submitted directly to the Lt. Governor’s Office for their consideration in adding to the list of green cleaning products.

Recommendations
For Illinois schools that may wish to implement a more comprehensive green cleaning program, the Guidelines also set forth recommended green cleaning procurement guidance and cleaning practices, which may be implemented individually or as a collective policy at the discretion of the schools.

The recommended section makes green cleaning procurement recommendations based on EPA’s Greening Your Purchase of Cleaning Products, and The Pennsylvania Green Building Operations and Maintenance Manual.

The recommendations address product categories such as air fresheners, bathroom and facial tissues, chrome cleaners and polishes, degreasers, disinfectants and sanitizers, floor care products, graffiti removers, and plastic bags. The recommended section also addresses powered cleaning equipment and sets forth “best practices” for implementing a green cleaning program.