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This information, along with statistics
on landscape waste compost facilities, waste transfer stations,
waste generation and recycling, and solid waste planning efforts are
provided in Illinois EPA's 16th annual report, "Nonhazardous Solid
Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois," for 2002. The
report also shows that the number of active landfills in the state
dropped by one in 2002 -- to 51.
"The Illinois EPA continues to oversee
the development and operation of modern sanitary landfills that meet
the strictest disposal standards in history," said Illinois EPA
Director Renee Cipriano. "However, solid waste planning that
includes recycling is becoming increasingly important."
Local recycling coordinators in
Illinois report that 5.1 million tons of municipal waste was
recycled in 2002. With total municipal waste of 22.1 million tons,
this equates to a 25 percent recycling rate in the state -- the same
as for 2001.
Although many parts of Illinois are
rural and far from recycling markets, most local governments
continue recycling education efforts and collect recycling data from
haulers as a necessary public service.
The report details waste management
activities in each of seven Illinois EPA administrative regions, and
it lists the volumes of wastes landfilled. While the remaining
statewide capacity is good at 13 years, regional capacity varied
tremendously. The Chicago Metropolitan Region had only five years of
landfill capacity remaining at the end of 2002, while Region Three,
which includes Peoria and the Quad Cities, had about 44 remaining
years.
Regional information identifies each
landfill and projects the year each is expected to reach capacity.
These projections, completed and provided by the landfills, assume
no new capacity will be added. The calculation comes from dividing
waste capacity on Jan. 1 by waste disposed in the previous calendar
year.
Woodland Recycling and Disposal
facility in South Elgin, located in Region Two, ceased accepting
waste in November 2002. Sangamon Valley Landfill began accepting
waste in October 2002, with a voluntary reduction of its permitted
capacity. ERC Coles County in Region Four, however, increased its
allowable capacity.
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article] |
Also located in Region Four, Livingston
County Landfill in Pontiac is not only the largest landfill in
Illinois but was the second largest landfill in the nation, based on
2002 waste receipts.
Only 10 percent of solid wastes
landfilled in Illinois in 2002, or about 5.8 million gate cubic
yards (1.8 million gate tons), came from a total of 12 other states,
with 78 percent of that volume originating in Missouri.
Although Illinois haulers also
transported solid wastes to other states, the haulers are not
required to report this to the state of Illinois. However, Indiana
reports that 88 percent of waste imported into their state, almost
1.4 million tons, came from 29 Illinois counties.
In 2002, 86 transfer stations handled
waste landfilled in Illinois prior to its transfer to a landfill.
Illinois EPA expects the number of transfer stations to increase in
upcoming years. The state's 40 permitted composting facilities
processed 354,333 tons of landscape wastes.
Among the new items featured in the
latest report is the agency's use of Geographic Information Systems
technology, or GIS, in mapping. The agency has designed an Illinois
map showing the locations of all transfer stations and landfill. GIS
technology is being increasingly used to pinpoint sites more
accurately, which enables the IEPA to provide more accurate
information in its reports.
This new
report is available for viewing or downloading on the Illinois EPA
website at
http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/landfill-capacity/2002/index.html.
You may also request a printed copy by writing to the Illinois EPA
Waste Reduction and Compliance Section, P. O. Box 19276,
Springfield, IL 62794-9276, or by calling (217) 785-8604.
[Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency
news release] |
