Environment

Featured Pages

CDPH is committed to ensuring a healthy and safe environment by reducing environmental hazards that have a negative impact on the health of our City and residents.

  • Environmental Policy and Innovation
    CDPH is a national leader in its use of innovative research to measure and evaluate conditions that impact the health of Chicago’s residents.
  • Heat Watch 2023
    Chicago, along with 18 other communities across the country, is building a team of resident scientists to measure heat across communities this summer.
  • Chicago's Cumulative Impact Assessment
    Chicago’s Cumulative Impact Assessment is a citywide project that will provide data on how environmental burdens and other stressors vary across Chicago. This will help us identify neighborhoods that experience the greatest cumulative impacts.
  • Community Environment Information
    The health and safety of Chicago’s communities, particularly our most vulnerable residents, is our highest priority. We will post information here to keep residents updated on what’s happening in their community.
  • Environmental Permitting and Inspection
    We are committed to ensuring businesses operate in a safe manner that protects our residents who work and live in the city.
  • Site Clean-Up & Hazardous Material Disposal
    Details on how residents and construction sites can properly dispose of hazardous materials and toxic pollutants.

External Sites

  • Air Quality Zoning
    The Air Quality Ordinance, approved by City Council in March 2021, regulates the construction and expansion of certain facilities that create air pollution. The regulations require a formal City review process and expand public engagement opportunities for the zoning, public health and transportation implications of many types of intensive manufacturing and industrial operations.
  • RMG Expansion on Southeast Side
    As of February 2022, the Chicago Department of Public Health issued its final decision for the proposed RMG/Southside Recycling facility.

Resources


Program Summaries



Services

Air Quality and Health

Air pollution contributes to increased risk of chronic disease, which is the leading driver of Chicago’s nine-year life expectancy gap between Black and white residents and decreases in life expectancy in the Latinx population.

Community Environment Information

The health and safety of Chicago’s communities, particularly our most vulnerable residents, is our highest priority. We will post information here to keep residents updated on what’s happening in their community.

Environmental Permitting & Inspection

Environmental Permitting and Inspection Program aims to protect public health and the environment by reducing environmental risks throughout the city.

Illegal Fly Dumping, Trash Dumping

Information about reporting an illegal dumping, or "Fly Dumping" can be found here.

Liquid Waste Fee

Information and forms to pay City of Chicago liquid waste fees can be found here.

Site Clean-Up & Hazardous Material Disposal

The Chicago Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) environmental team protects residents from exposure to hazardous materials and toxic pollutants through hazardous material collection centers, regulation of demolition and renovation projects, and working with federal agencies to identify and clean up contaminated sites.