introduction

              Illinois Bureau of Land January 2001
Environmental 1021 North Grand Avenue East
Protection Agency Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
IEPA/BOL/00-022
Nonhazardous Solid Waste
Management and Landfill
Capacity In Illinois
1999 Annual
Report
Topics Covered
  Waste disposed in
landfills, 1997-99
  Remaining disposal
capacity as of Jan. 1,
1999 and Jan. 1, 2000
  Specification pages for 67
landfills, 85 transfer stations
and 55 compost sites
  Waste generated & recycled
1999
  Waste handled by
transfer stations,
1997-1999
  Waste composted,
1997-1999
Printed on Recycled Paper
Nonhazardous
Solid Waste Management
And Landfill Capacity
In Illinois: 1999
Reporting period for waste disposal: Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1999
Reporting date for landfill capacity: Jan. 1, 2000
This report has been prepared for the Governor of the State of Illinois and the General Assembly
in accordance with Section 4 of the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act.
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Bureau of Land
Division of Land Pollution Control
Solid Waste Management Section
1021 North Grand Ave. East
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, Ill. 62794-9276
Printed on recycled paper.
PHOTO CREDITS
Cover Photo: Photo of Livingston Landfill by Deborah Paxton, Environmental Protection Specialist, Illinois EPA,
Champaign Regional Office
Region 1: Photo of Onyx Orchard Hills Landfill by Joy Bliton, Inspector, Ogle County Solid Waste
Management Department, Oregon
Region 2: Photo of BFI Zion Landfill by Greg Giroux, Inspector, Lake County Health Department, Waukegan
Region 3: Photo of Spoon Ridge RDF by Larry Dutton, Environmental Protection Specialist, Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, Peoria Regional Office
Region 4: Photo of Livingston Landfill by Ken Keigley, Environmental Protection Specialist, Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, Champaign Regional Office
Region 5: Photo of Five Oaks RDF by Weldon Kunzeman, Inspector, Christian County Solid Waste
Management, Taylorville
Region 6: Photo of Milam RDF by David Walchshauser, Environmental Protection Program Specialist, St.
Clair County Health Department, Belleville
Region 7: Photo of Southern Illinois Regional Landfill by George Browning, Inspector, Jackson County Health
Department, Murphysboro
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v iii
Additional Information
How to Obtain Additional Information
To learn more about municipal solid waste landfills, transfer
stations or compost facilities in Illinois, please call 217-785-
8604, or write to:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Bureau of Land
Solid Waste Management Section
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
Our Internet address is http://www.epa.state.il.us
When using courier services (UPS, Airborne, etc.), please use
the following street address and zip code:
1021 North Grand Ave. East
Springfield, IL 62702
Acknowledgements
This document is produced by the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency, Thomas V. Skinner, Director, and is
published by the Agency’s Office of Public Information,
Dennis McMurray, manager. The report is printed in the
Agency’s print shop. Tom Davis provided publishing advice to
the Editor.
Illinois EPA Bureau of Land personnel contributed their time
and expertise to the development of this publication. Especially
diligent in checking and rechecking thousands of details and
endless minutia was Ellen Gambach, of the Solid Waste
Management Section. Governor’s Environmental Corps Intern
Kristen Furrie helped compile recycling data. Assistance with
compost permitting and reporting was provided by Gary Cima
and Joanie McMillan. Excellent organizational skills and
typing was provided by Judy Brubaker, the Section’s clerical
support.
The Agency also wishes to thank the 18 delegated counties,
plus Ambraw Valley Solid Waste Agency, and the City of
Chicago who inspect and have first hand knowledge of
approximately 50 percent of the landfills, transfer stations and
compost sites written about in this report. Our seven regional
offices and their regional managers are responsible for
inspecting all Agency-permitted pollution control facilities.
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Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v v
Preface
INCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 1970, THE ILLINOIS EPA
has overseen the development and operation of a
productive system of modern sanitary landfills. The
Agency ensures that these facilit ies meet the strictest disposal
standards in history, and that they are engineered to be fully
protective of human health and the environment, especially
where it concerns any possibility of groundwater contamination.
This is the Agency’s 13th annual report on landfill disposal and
available landfill capacity in Illinois. The number of active
landfills in Illinois accepting waste in 1999 decreased from 58 to
53, but their total capacity has reached an all-time high during
that year. Sufficient capacity exists to handle the state’s
requirements for landfill disposal of nonhazardous solid waste
for the next 16 years, ensuring there should be no landfill
capacity crisis in Illinois for the foreseeable future.
The State of Illinois, seeking to avoid potential crises, has asked
all Illinois counties to adopt and update every five years well-conceived
plans to accommodate their future disposal needs.
Additionally, the Agency’s seven regional offices and 18
counties, the Ambraw Valley Solid Waste Agency and the City
of Chicago have been delegated the authority to inspect landfills,
transfer stations and compost sites in their jurisdictions,
providing a needed service to the citizens of Illinois. All of these
activities are reflected in this publication.
The Agency hopes you will find this information useful and
instructive and welcomes your comments and suggestions as to
how it may be improved.
S
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Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v vii
Contents
Additional Information and Acknowledgements................................................................................................. iii
Preface ...............................................................................................................................................................v
Tables .............................................................................................................................................................. viii
Executive Summary...........................................................................................................................................xi
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1
Region One: Northwestern Illinois ................................................................................................................R1.1
Region Two: Chicago Metropolitan ...............................................................................................................R2.1
Region Three: Peoria/Quad Cities ...............................................................................................................R3.1
Region Four: East Central Illinois..................................................................................................................R4.1
Region Five: West Central Illinois .................................................................................................................R5.1
Region Six: Metropolitan East St. Louis........................................................................................................R6.1
Region Seven: Southern Illinois ....................................................................................................................R7.1
Appendix A: Solid Waste Landfills Owners and Operators: Alphabetic by Facility ........................................A1
Appendix B: Solid Waste Landfills Owners and Operators: Alphabetic by County ........................................B1
Appendix C: Solid Waste Landfills Ranked by Wastes Received: 1999.........................................................C1
Appendix D: Solid Waste Landfills Ranked by Remaining Capacities; as of Jan. 1, 2000.............................D1
Appendix E: Solid Waste Transfer Station Owners and Operators: Alphabetic by Facility ............................E1
Appendix F: Solid Waste Transfer Station Owners and Operators: Alphabetic by County............................F1
Appendix G: Solid Waste Transfer Stations Ranked by Wastes Received: 1999 ..........................................G1
Appendix H: Landscape Waste Compost Facility Owners and Operators: Alphabetic by Facility .................H1
Appendix I: Landscape Waste Compost Facility Owners and Operators: Alphabetic by County ...................I1
Appendix J: Landscape Waste Compost Facilities Ranked by Wastes Received: 1999 ...............................J1
Appendix K: Contact List for Solid Waste Planning and Recycling: Alphabetic by County ............................K1
Appendix L: Adoption Dates and Updates for Solid Waste Management Plans:
Alphabetic by County .................................................................................................................. L1
Appendix M: Municipal Waste Generation and Recycling: Alphabetic by County ..........................................M1
viiiv Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
Tables
State of Origin of Wastes Received at Illinois Landfills in 1999 ........................................................................ 4
Illinois Landfills: Wastes Accepted in 1999 Versus 1998 .................................................................................. 5
Illinois Landfills: Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000 Versus Jan. 1, 1999 ....................................................... 6
Wastes Disposed and Landfill Capacity Per Capita; Landfill Life Expectancy.................................................. 7
Landfill Capacity Is Abundant Despite Dwindling Number of Facilities ............................................................. 8
Consolidation of the Waste Industry in the USA................................................................................................ 9
Previously Competing Waste Companies Merge .............................................................................................. 9
New Chicago Metro Transfer Stations ............................................................................................................. 10
Strategies of Waste Companies in the Process of Merging ............................................................................ 10
More Transfer Stations & Compost Facilities Expected in 2000..................................................................... 12
Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999 ........................................................................................................ 12
Compost Facilities: Wastes Handled 1999 ...................................................................................................... 12
Incinerator: Wastes Handled 1999.................................................................................................................. 13
Municipal Wastes Generated & Recycled ....................................................................................................... 13
Municipal Waste Management in Illinois: 1999 ............................................................................................... 14
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Administrative Regions (map)........................................................ 15
Region One: Landfills and Transfer Stations (map depicting capacity gains or losses)..............................R1.2
Region One: Landfills: Wastes Accepted 1999; Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000 .................................R1.3
Region One: Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999 ...............................................................................R1.4
Region One: Compost Facilities: Wastes Accepted 1999............................................................................R1.5
Region One: Municipal Wastes Recycled.....................................................................................................R1.5
Region Two: Landfills and Transfer Stations (map depicting capacity gains or losses)..............................R2.2
Region Two: Landfills: Wastes Accepted 1999; Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000 .................................R2.3
Region Two: Compost Facilities: Wastes Accepted 1999............................................................................R2.4
Region Two: Cook County Transfer Stations and Incinerator (map) ...........................................................R2.5
Region Two: Chicago Transfer Stations (map).............................................................................................R2.6
Region Two: Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999 ...............................................................................R2.7
Region Two: Municipal Wastes Recycled.....................................................................................................R2.8
Region Three: Landfills and Transfer Stations (map depicting capacity gains or losses)...........................R3.2
Region Three: Landfills: Wastes Accepted 1999; Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000...............................R3.3
Region Three: Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999.............................................................................R3.4
Region Three: Compost Facilities: Wastes Accepted 1999 .........................................................................R3.5
Region Three: Municipal Wastes Recycled..................................................................................................R3.5
Region Four: Landfills and Transfer Stations (map depicting capacity gains or losses).............................R4.2
Region Four: Landfills: Wastes Accepted 1999; Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000.................................R4.3
Region Four: Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999 ...............................................................................R4.4
Region Four: Compost Facilities: Wastes Accepted 1999 ...........................................................................R4.4
Region Four: Municipal Wastes Recycled....................................................................................................R4.5
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v ix
Tables
Region Five: Landfills and Transfer Stations (map depicting capacity gains or losses)..............................R5.2
Region Five: Landfills: Wastes Accepted 1999; Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000 .................................R5.3
Region Five: Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999 ...............................................................................R5.4
Region Five: Compost Facilities: Wastes Accepted 1999............................................................................R5.4
Region Five: Municipal Wastes Recycled.....................................................................................................R5.5
Region Six: Landfills and Transfer Stations (map depicting capacity gains or losses)................................R6.2
Region Six: Landfills: Wastes Accepted 1999; Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000 ...................................R6.3
Region Six: Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999 .................................................................................R6.4
Region Six: Compost Facilities: Wastes Accepted 1999..............................................................................R6.5
Region Six: Municipal Wastes Recycled ......................................................................................................R6.5
Region Seven: Landfills and Transfer Stations (map depicting capacity gains or losses)..........................R7.2
Region Seven: Landfills: Wastes Accepted 1999; Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000 ..............................R7.3
Region Seven: Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999............................................................................R7.4
Region Seven: Compost Facilities: Wastes Accepted 1999 ........................................................................R7.4
Region Seven: Municipal Wastes Recycled .................................................................................................R7.5
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Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v xi
Executive Summary
HIS IS THE ILLINOIS EPA’S 13T H ANNUAL REPORT
describing the management of nonhazardous municipal
solid waste by the state’s solid waste landfills and transfer
stations. The report is divided into sections representing Illinois
EPA administrative regions.
Each regional section includes newly designed specification
pages describing the chief physical characteristics of each
landfill. Provided are: its location and hours of operation, tipping
fee, quantities of wastes received for the last three years, the
landfill’s certified remaining capacity for the last two reporting
dates, solid waste management fees paid in 1999, the Agency
regional field office or delegated local authority that inspects the
facility, and the name, address and phone number of the
landfill’s owner and operator.
Similar but scaled down specification pages are included for
each transfer station. In all, this report includes details of 67
landfills, 85 transfer stations and 55 compost facilities.
Illinois municipal solid waste landfills are required to report to
the Illinois EPA the quantities of solid waste they receive each
year, and to calculate and report the amount of remaining
capacity existing on the first day of the following year.
During 1999, 53 landfills reported receiving a total of 50.6
million gate cubic yards of waste. This volume was 5.8 million
gate cubic yards more than the total received during 1998, a 12.9
percent increase.
As of Jan. 1, 2000, 54 landfills reported having a combined
remaining capacity of 792.7 million gate cubic yards, or 43.3
million gate cubic yards more than on Jan. 1, 1999, an increase
of 5.8 percent.
Dividing wastes disposed during 1999 by capacity remaining on
Jan. 1, 2000, indicates a landfill life expectancy in Illinois of 16
years, at 1999 disposal rates, barring capacity adjustments, until
capacity is depleted.
T
Introduction
Nonhazardous
Solid Waste Management
And Landfill Capacity
1999
2 v Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
Illinoisans generated
waste at a rate of 6.9
pounds per person
per day in 1999
UNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IS THE TERM USED TO DESCRIBE THE
garbage that’s discarded by America’s households, stores,
offices, factories, restaurants, schools and other institutions.
“Discarded” most often means disposed of in Agency-permitted
landfills. Increasing amounts are handled through other means of
solid waste management: recycling, composting and incineration.
In 1999, Illinois landfills accepted nearly 15.3 million net tons of
solid waste. The U.S. EPA’s Characterization of Municipal Solid
Waste Management: 1998 Update says that nationwide 55 percent of
solid waste was landfilled, 28 percent was recycled or composted and
17 percent was incinerated. National figures for 1999 were not
published at the printing of this report.
Most Illinois waste was discarded in landfills within our borders.
Wastes entering and leaving the state are not believed to affect this
equation. Of all solid wastes landfilled in Illinois in 1999, 10 percent,
or about 1.5 million tons, came from out of state. We know this
because Illinois landfills must report these quantities to the Illinois
EPA. However, waste haulers are not required to report how much
Illinois waste they transport to landfills in other states or from which
county in Illinois waste is transported from.
Some is recycled and composted
County recycling coordinators in Illinois claim that more than a third
of all wastes were recycled in 1999, meaning this portion was not
landfilled. Recycling coordinators place total generated wastes at
about 15.3 million tons. But this total does not take recycling into
account. It appears that perhaps the municipal waste generation rate is
higher than reported; the amount imported is greater than exported; or
the reported recycling rate is too high.
Very little is incinerated
In Illinois, figures show only two percent of solid waste in Illinois
was incinerated in 1999, compared to the amount landfilled. Robbins
Resource Recovery Facility received 377,852 tons of waste in
suburban Chicago in 1999, an 18 percent decrease from 1998. This
site was permitted to operate on June 2, 1997. The site closed in
November 2000, for business reasons.
M
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v 3
PPONENTS OF LANDFILLING WORRY THAT FACILITIES WILL
eventually leak, contaminating drinking supplies. Those who
design, own or operate landfills claim they are safe because
they must meet the most stringent construction and operating
standards in history.
In the early 1990s, the U.S. EPA developed regulations that sought to
make landfills as leakproof as technology could provide. The
regulations also required owners to demonstrate their financial ability
to safely operate a landfill over its typical 20-year lifetime, and to
assure the landfill will be properly maintained for at least 30 years
following its closure.
In addition to stricter standards, modern landfills come under the
scrutiny of federal, state and local authorities, the media and many
environmental groups. If problems occur, they are likely to attract
much public attention.
A modern sanitary landfill can be likened to an enormous bathtub
into which garbage is placed and from which contaminants cannot
escape to pollute air or water.
Safe containment of garbage and its byproducts begins with the
landfill liner, which can consist of impermeable plastic or compacted
clay, or both. The liner system must ensure that groundwater in the
uppermost aquifer, within a specified distance of the landfill, will
meet U.S. drinking water standards for 24 organic and inorganic
constituents.
Monitoring groundwater contamination. . .
Placed in a bed of gravel atop the liner is a network of pipes that
collects garbage liquids, known as leachate, which are pumped out of
the landfill for treatment and disposal. Leachate occurs from
rainwater and snow melt seeping through the garbage and from
compaction and decomposition of solid wastes. Leak detectors can be
placed beneath the liner to warn of any failure of the leachate
collection system, enabling prompt repairs to seal leaks.
Groundwater monitoring wells installed around the landfill’s
perimeter assure the leachate collection system is doing its job. The
location and number of wells must be sufficient to determine the
background quality of the groundwater.
“Subtitle D Rules” Caused
Drop in Number of Landfills
Federal authority to regulate disposal
of municipal solid waste is based on
provisions in Subtitle D of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA). The federal Clean Air
and Clean Water Acts also affect
disposal of these wastes.
Illinois enacted strict solid waste
landfill regulations: Parts 810 through
815 of Title 35 of the Illinois
Administrative Code.
In October 1991, the U.S. EPA
developed new landfill rules that
became mandatory for all state landfill
regulatory and permitting programs.
These are sometimes known as
Subtitle D rules.
Landfills that were operating when the
Subtitle D rules were implemented
were forced to choose between
complying with stricter regulations or
closing in the prescribed manner.
Whether it was the effect of tougher
Subtitle D rules, the result of other
business considerations, or a
combination, one thing is clear:
between 1992 and 1994, the number
of active landfills in Illinois fell from
106 to 59 — a drop of 44 percent, as
illustrated on page 8.
This trend has continued, with only 53
landfills actively accepting waste in
1999. Only 54 reported capacity; two
of these are not accepting waste and
are known as “inactive” facilities.
Also, Cottonwood Hills in St. Clair
County was still under development as
of January 1, 2000, but reported
capacity.
O
4 v Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
State of Origin of Wastes
Received at Illinois Landfills
in 19991
Of all solid wastes landfilled in Illinois
in 1999, ten percent or about 1.5
million tons, came from out-of-state.
We know this because Illinois landfills
must report these quantities to the
Illinois EPA. However, waste haulers
need not report how much Illinois
waste they transport to landfills in
other states or from which county in
Illinois waste is transported.
State of Origin Percent
Missouri 75%
Iowa 17%
Indiana 4%
Wisconsin 4%
Other States 2 <1%
Total 100%
1 Twenty-eight landfills accepted
waste from 15 states in 1999.
2 Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas,
Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina,
Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, and Texas
Twice a year samples are collected and analyzed for 62 indicator
pollutants. These samples are compared with previously determined
background concentrations. Testing must continue throughout the
active life of the landfill and its post-closure care period. This testing
cycle can total 50 years or more.
. . . and methane gas
Provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
and the Clean Air Act require landfill operators to monitor for
methane gas atop the landfill and around its perimeter. Large
quantities of methane are produced when organic materials in
garbage decompose. Venting systems are required to keep this
explosive methane gas from diffusing underground or from escaping
through openings in the landfill’s surface.
Sometimes the methane is burned or flared at the landfill, but
increasingly it is being collected to fuel generators creating electricity
for on-site use or to be sold to local utilities. (Some landfills have
been known to produce enough electricity to light 5,000 homes for a
year.) Of the 67 operating and/or closed landfills detailed in this
report, 45 are planning, building or currently operating gas-to-energy
systems.
Landfills are developed cell by cell
Landfills are divided into sections called cells, which are developed
as needed, filled systematically so much so that specific loads can be
located weeks or months later, and covered with earth or other
materials to prevent the spread of odors and vermin.
Trucks arriving at a landfill are inspected for prohibited
nonhazardous wastes (Illinois bans landfilling of liquids, motor oil,
whole tires and landscape wastes) and for hazardous wastes. Loads
are weighed and details about them are recorded. They are then taken
to the currently exposed portion of the active cell, which is known as
the working face.
Trucks empty their loads at the working face, where specially
modified bulldozers spread and compact the waste, crushing it to
eliminate air pockets and squeezing it into the smallest space
possible.
ANDFILL OPERATORS EARN REVENUES BY CHARGING HAULERS
for each ton or cubic yard of waste brought to the landfill
called tipping fees. Landfills may have a single tipping fee, or
several, depending upon the type of waste and how much it can be
compacted.
L
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v 5
The more waste that can fit in a cell, the more money the landfill can
earn. Airy wastes can often be compacted to less than half their
transport size; wastes of greater density can be compacted by only a
third; and some wastes, broken concrete for example, cannot be
compacted at all.
In 1999, 53 Illinois landfills accepted more than 50 million cubic
yards of solid wastes valued at approximately $581.3 million. A
ranking of these facilities (Appendix C) finds the top five landfills
received 42 percent of wastes. This unequal distribution of wastes
creates a large difference between an average landfill, whic h would
have accepted more than 950 thousand cubic yards (about 290
thousand tons) of wastes and a median landfill, which would have
received some 534 thousand cubic yards (about 162 thousand tons).
About $1 million per acre
Developing a landfill requires enormous investments in land and
equipment totaling millions of dollars, plus engineering expenses,
fees to state and local governments, taxes, normal operating costs and
additional millions set aside for post-closure care. One industry rule
of thumb says it takes about $1 million an acre to design, build,
permit, operate and conduct post-closure care at a landfill today.
Some of these expenditures have become important sources of
revenue for others, supporting various solid waste and recycling
programs. State law allows local governments to charge landfills a
solid waste management fee of $1.27 per ton on wastes landfilled
within their borders. Because these fees can be spent only on
environmentally related activities, some counties have built large
surplus funds, which may be used to buffer the effect of future
landfill closings.
Landfill Tipping Fees
Landfill tipping fees multiplied by
quantities of waste received provide a
rough measure of income of Illinois
landfills in 1999.
Total receipts for the active landfills
reporting tipping fees exceeded $575
million, or an average of $10.9 million
per facility. This total is approximate
and is for landfilling only; it does not
include income from other waste
handling operations or services nor
does it include expenses.
The average tipping fee of 33 landfills
charging by weight was $30.00 per
ton. (Peoria Disposal Co., which
charges $100 a ton for disposal of
hazardous waste, was excluded
determining in this average.)
The average tipping fee of 16 landfills
charging by volume was $11.50 per
cubic yard.
Illinois Landfills: Wastes
Accepted in 1996 Versus 1995
Illinois Landfills: Wastes Accepted in 1999 Versus 1998
Landfills
Accepting 1999 Wastes
Wastes Wastes Accepted, Cu. Yds.____ Yearly Change_____ Share of
Region 1999 1 1999 2 19983 Cu. Yds. Percent State Total
One: Northwestern Illinois 8 9,276,980 4,660,080 +4,616,900 +99.1 18.4
Two: Chicago Metropolitan 15 15,829,010 16,008,471 -179,461 -1.2 31.3
Three: Peoria/Quad Cities 8 4,354,918 4,766,559 -411.641 -8.6 8.6
Four: East Central Illinois 9 10,976,098 9,310,857 +1,665,241 +17.9 21.7
Five: West Central Illinois 4 1,810,676 1,929,973 -119,297 -6.2 4.0
Six: Metropolitan East St. Louis 5 6,519,788 6,354,829 +164,959 +2.6 12.9
Seven: Southern Illinois 4 1,784,045 1,762,897 +21,148 +1.2 3.5
Totals 53 50,551,515 44,793,666 +5,757,849 +12.9 100
1 Includes facilities that accepted municipal waste for less than full year.
2 Includes 5,088,313 cubic yards of out-of-state wastes (10% of state total) accepted by 28 Illinois landfills during 1999.
3 Includes 4,974,835 cubic yards of out-of-state wastes (11% of state total) accepted by 31 Illinois landfills during 1998.
6 v Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
Gate Cubic Yards and Tons
Illinois landfills are required to report to
the Illinois EPA the quantities of wastes
received during each calendar year.
They must also calculate how much
capacity remains available for future
waste disposal.
These figures are submitted to the
Agency on forms that call for answers in
gate cubic yards, or the volume of waste
entering the landfill’s gate. Remaining
capacities are expressed as certified
gate cubic yards, meaning that the
calculations have been certified as true
and accurate by a licensed professional
engineer. These numbers will be found
in the landfill specification pages in each
regional section.
The term in-place cubic yard is used to
indicate wastes that have been
compressed to a half or a third or a
quarter of their original volume,
depending on the degree of compaction
achieved by the landfill.
Gate cubic yards can be difficult to
visualize. To aid reader comprehension,
we have divided gate cubic yards by an
industry standard of 3.3 to achieve
approximate tons.
Demands for capital and increasing technology requirements are
among the reasons for the increasing privatization of the waste
industry. Of the 67 landfills profiled in this report, 80 percent are
privately owned and 94 percent are privately operated.
Section 4 of the Illinois Solid Waste Management Act requires the
Agency to “publish a report regarding the projected disposal capacity
available for solid waste in sanitary landfills. . . . Such reports shall
present the data on an appropriate regional basis. . . [and] shall
include an assessment of the life expectancy of each site.”
This legislative mandate explains why the main body of this report is
organized by seven Illinois EPA administrative regions, and why
landfill capacity and life expectancy are emphasized in nearby tables
and charts, and in text, tables, map symbology and landfill
specification pages in the regional sections.
HE TABLE ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE SHOWS LANDFILLING
statewide increased 12.9 percent between 1998 to 1999.
Landfilling in Region 1 (Northwestern Illinois) almost
doubled, an increase of 4.6 million cubic yards. The next highest
percent increase was in Region 4 (East Central Illinois) where
landfills absorbed between one-fourth and one-third of the municipal
solid wastes which were disposed in Illinois.
Landfill capacity dipped less than ten percent in two Regions (5 and
7), from one year to the next. A slight decrease in capacity in Region
2 (Chicago Metropolitan) was offset by a 1.2 percent gain in Region
7 (Southern Illinois).
The table below compares landfills’ remaining capacities in
“snapshots” taken Jan. 1, 1999, and Jan. 1, 2000. Total capacity
jumped nearly 43.3 million cubic yards year to year; 80.2 million
cubic yards of that gain is from Metropolitan East St. Louis (Region
6), up nearly 160 percent.
Illinois Landfills: Remaining Capacities Jan. 1, 2000 Versus Jan. 1, 1999
Landfills
Reporting Capacity
Capacity Reported Capacity, Cu. Yds.___ Yearly Change_____ Share of
Region 1-1-00 1-1-00 1-1-99 Cu. Yds. Percent State Total
One: Northwestern Illinois 8 175,599,000 179,635,000 -4,036,000 -2.2 22.2
Two: Chicago Metropolitan 14 101,503,000 109,341,000 -7,838,000 -7.2 12.8
Three: Peoria/Quad Cities 1 8 180,290,000 183,373,000 -3,083,000 -1.7 22.7
Four: East Central Illinois 9 112,259,000 126,131,000 -13,872,000 -11.0 14.2
Five: West Central Illinois 2 5 65,932,000 72,339,000 -6,407,000 -8.9 8.3
Six: Metropolitan East St. Louis 6 130,611,000 50,376,000 +80,235,000 +159.3 16.5
Seven: Southern Illinois 4 26,494,000 28,162,000 -1,668,000 -5.9 3.3
Totals 54 792,688,000 749,357,000 +43,331,000 +5.8 100
1
Includes capacity at one inactive facility. Spoon Ridge RDF in Fulton County.
2
Includes capacity at one inactive facility: Sangamon Valley Landfill in Sangamon County.
T
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v 7
Per capita views alter perspectives
Perhaps even more revealing is the table below, which views waste
and landfill capacities on a per capita basis. Regions Two and Six
have the lowest remaining capacity per capita. The Chicago Metro
area (Region Two) is the only area whose remaining capacity per
capita is below the State average. This is probably due to the fact that
the City of Chicago has 16 transfer stations, Cook County has 24
more and there are another 13 in surrounding counties. Some of these
transfer stations undoubtedly shipped waste out of the region or out-of-
state into Wisconsin or Indiana.
We must take into account waste transportation across borders of the
counties and the adjacent states, such as Missouri in the East St.
Louis Metro Region. If Region Six continues as a net importer shown
by its 53.5 percent import rate, refer to table, it could run short on
landfill space in 20 years. Cottonwood Hills RDF, in St. Clair
County, opened in November 2000, will help alleviate this situation.
In Region Two, because of the moratorium against landfills in the
City of Chicago, other areas of Cook County will have to build new
landfills, expand existing landfills or else transfer of waste will occur.
The table below illustrates that there is no capacity crisis in the State
of Illinois, nor is one expected in the near future. The table shows
that while the number of active landfills fell sharply when the new
more stringent regulations took place in 1994, the average landfill
capacity has been growing up to 14.7 million tons, while the waste
landfilled has remained in a narrow range for the past 10 years.
Still, it’s wise to remember, as with investments, past performance is
not an indicator of future results.
Landfill Capacity Per Capita; Landfill Life Expectancy
Wastes Disposed and Landfill Capacity Per Capita; Landfill Life Expectancy
Estimated Wastes Disposed, Cu. Yds. Remaining Capacity, Cu. Yds Landfill Life
Region Population 1999 Per Capita Jan. 1, 2000 Per Capita Years1
One: Northwestern Illinois 781,484 9,276,980 11.9 175,599,000 224.7 19
Two: Chicago Metropolitan 8,033,621 15,829,010 2.0 101,503,000 12.6 6
Three: Peoria/Quad Cities 758,244 4,354,918 5.7 180,290,000 237.8 41
Four: East Central Illinois 849,473 10,976,098 12.9 112,259,000 132.2 10
Five: West Central Illinois 562,783 1,810,676 3.2 65,932,000 117.2 36
Six: Metropolitan East St. Louis 202,335 6,519,788 32.2 130,611,000 645.5 20
Seven: Southern Illinois 439,899 1,784,045 4.1 26,494,000 60.2 15
Totals 11,627,839 50,551,515 4.3 792,688,000 68.2 16
1 Remaining capacity divided by wastes disposed. Tells how long a region may be served by local landfills at current disposal rates, barring
capacity adjustments, until capacity is depleted.
8 v Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
Capacity increases documented on Jan. 1, 2000
In a year that brought a 5.8 percent increase in landfill
capacity, it is not surprising that nine of 54 Illinois
landfills had more space available on Jan. 1, 2000, than
on Jan. 1, 1999. But as we’ve seen, landfill capacity in
Illinois for the most part has grown over the past 10
years. That growth has come from two sources:
expansions of existing facilities and development of
new landfills.
Landfill Capacity Is Abundant Despite Dwindling Number of Facilities
At the end of each year, Illinois landfills operators calculate how much waste they can accept in the future.
This volume is known as remaining or available capacity, and is expressed in gate cubic yards, meaning
waste received at the landfill’s gate, before it is compacted. One industry rule of thumb says 10 gate cubic
yards of waste can be compressed into 5 compacted cubic yards. Obviously, the greater the compaction,
the more waste can be buried.
Tight Regulations Force Cutbacks ... Pushing Survivors To Build Capacity
Active landfills accepting waste each year Available landfill space, millions of gate cubic yards
Average Landfill Capacity Grows ... While Disposal Rates Stagnate
Millions of gate cubic yards Wastes landfilled, millions of gate cubic yards
390
351 361 372 363 362
474
412
623
750
793
200
275
350
425
500
575
650
725
800
'90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00
3.1 3.0 3.3 3.5
4.4
6.1
8.2
7.2
11.1
13.3
14.7
0
3
6
9
12
15
'90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00
45 44
42 41 41
47 47 46
40
45
51
30
40
50
60
'89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99
51% increase
31% increase
20% increase
117 110 106
83
59 58 57 56 58 53
0
30
60
90
120
150
180
'90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99
Tougher laws take
effect
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v 9
Mergers of waste management companies
Privately-owned companies that used to compete against each other
for business in Illinois joined forces in 1998 and 1999, causing many
changes in ownership of transfer stations and landfills. These changes
are reflected in this publication.
Waste Management Inc. and Allied Waste Industries are two such
companies which acquired other waste companies in their pursuit of
increased market share.
Other companies which entered the Illinois waste industry were Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida, based Republic Industries and Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, based Superior Waste Services. For more information on
these companies, check with their company headquarters or Regional
office, provided at the bottom of the landfill or transfer station
specification pages in the regional sections.
Previously Competing Waste Companies Merge
Company Time Action
1980’s Rapid Expansion of Waste
Management
1995-1997 Rapid Expansion of USA Waste
1998 Merger of Waste Management and
USA Waste
WMI
1999 Merger of Waste Management &
Eastern Services
Dec. 1996 Allied purchased Laidlaw Inc.
Mar. 1997 Allied sold Laidlaw’s Canadian
operations to USA Waste
Aug. 1998 Allied acquired American Disposal
Services Inc.
Allied
Mar. 1999 Allied merged with BFI Waste
Systems of North America
Consolidation of the Waste
Industry in the USA
Big players in the Illinois waste
industry are Waste Management Inc.
(WMI) and Allied Waste Industries;
new names for companies that
merged in 1998-99.
The top two companies in the world
are:
#1 Waste Management Inc.
includes WMI (formerly #1)/USA
Waste (formerly #3)/Eastern
Services
#2 Allied Waste Industries
includes BFI (formerly #2)/Allied
Waste (formerly #5)/American
Disposal
The number one company Waste
Management has moved its world
headquarters from Oak Brook, Ill. to
Houston, Tex. Another Illinois
company, American Disposal
Company of Burr Ridge, was bought
by Scottsdale, Ariz. based Allied
Waste.
Allied Waste also purchased Metro
Chicago area transfer stations
formerly owned by Liberty Waste
Services and Illinois Recycling
Services.
Rapid changes are taking place in
ownership of landfills and transfer
stations in Illinois. 
Potential Capacity Increases Since Jan. 1, 1997: Expansions at Existing Facilities
10 v Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
New Chicago Metro
Transfer Stations
Several transfer stations were
permitted to operate in the Chicago
Metropolitan area in late 1998 and
1999. Details about each of these
sites are found in Region 2’s transfer
station’s specification pages.
0430905819
DuKane Transfer Facility
(DuPage Co./West Chicago)
(Opened 3/10/99)
1110605043
Waste Mgt. North/McHenry Transfer
(McHenry Co./McHenry)
(Opened late ’98)
0898030004
Skyline Disposal
(Kane Co./Elburn)
(Opened 6-25-99)
0313305030
Wilmette Village Yard
(Cook Co./Wilmette)
(Opened 8-19-98)
Closings cut capacity. . .
A total of nine landfills shut their gates between 1997 and 1999.
Seven of these facilities closed with little or no available capacity.
From mid-1999 through the end of 2001, based on projections
reported by the landfills, nine more facilities expect to close. These
closings, by Illinois EPA Region, are:
u Region One — Freeport Municipal LF #4 (2001)
u Region Two — CDT Landfill (2000)
Congress Development Co. LF (2001)
Mallard Lake LF (1999)
Wheatland Prairie RDF (2000)
u Region Three — None
u Region Four — Coles Co. Landfill (2001)
Streator Area Landfill #3 (2001)
u Region Five — None
u Region Six — South Chain of Rocks RDF (2001)
u Region Seven — Saline County LF (2001)
Potential Capacity Increases Since Jan. 1, 1997: New or Reopened Facilities
Strategies of Waste Companies in the Process of Merging
American Disposal
(now Allied)
Purchased Pittsburgh-based Liberty Waste Services Ltd. (Illinois/Indiana).
Allied Waste Purchased Illinois Recycling Services in Chicago metro area.
Republic Services Purchased Southern Illinois Regional Landfill and several transfer stations.
Superior Services Purchased Macon County Landfill in Central Illinois.
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v 11
. . . but capacity continues to grow
While it’s never safe to predict future events, it is possible to say that
projections of capacity losses resulting from on-going waste disposal
and premature landfill closures — offset by capacity gains coming
from landfill expansions and the opening of new facilities — suggest
that by early 2001 available capacity in Illinois could be as high as
825 million to 850 million cubic yards.
Sharp increases in waste disposal, or premature landfill closings, or
slowdowns in landfill expansions and openings could lower this
projection by many millions of cubic yards.
There currently exists a glut of landfill space that is causing
contractions among the waste industry’s major players. One of the
more surprising examples recently occurred in Fulton County in west
central Illinois.
Spoon Ridge Landfill, near Fairview, is owned and operated by a unit
of Browning-Ferris Industries Inc. In December 1997, the Illinois
EPA granted Spoon Ridge a development permit that could allow it
to become the state’s largest landfill. Six months later, Browning-
Ferris announced plans to temporarily close Spoon Ridge for a period
of one to three years as part of a nationwide effort to control costs.
Company officials said they would use this time to develop necessary
infrastructure and waste hauling contracts in northeastern Illinois and
southeastern Wisconsin. Success in these efforts could lead to the
reopening of Spoon Ridge, and its eventual profitability.
More recent strategies are unknown due to the merger of BFI with
Allied Waste Industries in mid-1999 (see pg. 9).
Metro Chicago has 67 percent of state’s transfer stations
Key to Spoon Ridge’s return to business is the continued
development of waste transfer stations in Region Two (Chicago
Metropolitan) and elsewhere. Of the state’s 79 transfer stations active
in 1999, 53 are in Region Two and 40 of these are in Cook County.
In 1999, Region Two’s transfer stations handled 4.8 million tons of
waste; 4.8 million tons of waste was also landfilled in the region that
year.
Unlike landfills, transfer stations need not report wastes handled to
the Illinois EPA; however, as a public service, the Agency surveyed
these facilities to determine the level of their waste handling
activities.
Who to Call for Help With
Specific Waste Problems
The Illinois EPA supports a number of
waste disposal and recycling efforts
aimed at helping households and
selected institutions safely dispose of
household hazardous waste, scrap
tires, leftover paint, used motor oil,
educational hazardous waste, and
more.
To obtain the latest information about
these programs, or to learn the dates,
times and locations of drop-off
collections, please call one of the
following:
t Dan Rion, at 217-782-9294,
concerning scheduling of
Household Hazardous Waste
collections;
t Tap Hefley, at 217-524-4655,
concerning scrap/used tire
disposal;
t Dave Saladino, at 217/558-4115
concerning high school laboratory
hazardous waste and used
fluorescent and high intensity light
bulb disposal;
t Dave Anderson, at 217/558-2574,
concerning what to do with waste,
excess paint and used motor oil.
12 v Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
More Transfer Stations &
Compost Facilities
Expected in 2000
Transfer stations generally take less
time to be built, but are required to
meet local siting and zoning
restrictions. Two compost sites also
came on line in mid-2000.
Expect to see information about the
following sites in the 14th annual report
(2000 data).
0170155001
Excel Corp. Compost Facility
(Cass Co./Beardstown)
(Permitted 7-25-00)
0316585166
Gonzales Transfer Station
(Cook Co./Chicago)
(Under development)
0316000034
Harbor View-Northeast
Compost Facility
(Cook Co./Chicago)
(Under Development)
1130900021
ISU Farm Compost Site
(McLean Co./Normal)
(Permitted 11-17-00)
0910355001
Joyce Farms Compost Facility
(Kankakee Co./Essex)
(Permitted 9-12-00)
0894690004
Montgomery Landscape Waste
Transfer Station
(Kane Co./Montgomery)
(Under Development)
These sites will be inspected regularly
by the Agency’s regional offices or a
delegated unit of local government.  
The role of transfer stations becomes more important every year,
especially in Region Two, where the number of active landfills is
expected to fall from 15 in 1999, to as few as 12 after 2001.
Transfer Stations: Wastes Handled 1999
Active
Region Facilities Tons
One: Northwestern Illinois 6 117,504
Two: Chicago Metropolitan 53 4,786,263
Three: Peoria/Quad Cities 3 13,674
Four: East Central Illinois 6 10,612
Five: West Central Illinois 3 N/A
Six: Metropolitan East St. Louis 5 N/A
Seven: Southern Illinois 3 N/A
Total 79 4,928,053
In 1999, 79 transfer stations handled 4.9 million tons of trash, or
nearly 10 percent of wastes landfilled statewide. As the number of
active landfills falls from 53 in 1999, to the mid-40s, or even the
upper-30s, over the next decade, the number of transfer stations can
be expected to grow, as will the portion of wastes they will handle.
The Agency attempted to get data from transfer stations, but not all of
the facilities chose to voluntarily return the survey.
Composting is increasing by seven percent a year
Landscape wastes were banned from Illinois landfills beginning July
1, 1990. Since then the number of active compost facilities has begun
to approach the number of active landfills, and may exceed them in a
few years.
As might be expected, composting is most common in Region Two,
where 53 percent of the state’s landscape wastes were processed.
Compost Facilities: Wastes Handled 1999
Active
Region Facilities Tons
One: Northwestern Illinois 7 41,608
Two: Chicago Metropolitan 19 189,668
Three: Peoria/Quad Cities 5 11,067
Four: East Central Illinois 5 25,162
Five: West Central Illinois 3 8,132
Six: Metropolitan East St. Louis 7 80,554
Seven: Southern Illinois 2 1,752
Total 48 357,991
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v 13
Compost facilities report to the Agency each year the quantities of
wastes accepted. In 1999, the state’s compost facilities processed
357,991 tons of landscape wastes, a seven percent gain over 1998’s
total of 335,354 tons.
Landscape wastes processed in 1999 represent only about one percent
of total wastes landfilled in Illinois that year. While this percentage is
small, it is important to note that composting kept more than 357,000
tons of wastes out of landfills and each ton of waste not landfilled is a
ton of landfill capacity preserved.
Amount incinerated for energy recovery or volume
reduction is small
An additional 377,852 tons of waste was received at the Robbins
Resource Recovery Facility in suburban Chicago in 1999, an 18
percent decrease from 1998. This site was permitted to operate on
June 2, 1997. For business reasons, the waste for energy facility
closed just prior to press time in late 2000.
Incinerator: Wastes Handled 1999
Region/Site Name Tons
Two: Chicago Metropolitan
Robbins Resource Recovery Facility 377,852
Total 377,852
Recycled amount is increasing
The amount of municipal waste recycled in the state jumped 40
percent from 1998’s figure of 3.8 million tons. The percentage
recycled jumped from 28 percent to 35 percent state-wide. Local
governments have shown much diligence in meeting and even
exceeding local recycling goals mandated by the Solid Waste
Planning and Recycling Act.
Delegated inspection
program
The Illinois EPA has delegated
inspection authority to 18 counties,
Ambraw Valley Solid Waste Agency
and the City of Chicago. This program
takes advantage of additional
manpower at the local level.
Delegation agreements authorize
these agencies to conduct many of the
duties that would otherwise have to be
performed by the Illinois EPA field
office: investigating suspected
violations of land pollution laws and
reports of open dumping, and
inspecting landfills, transfer stations
and compost facilities permitted
through the Agency’s Bureau of Land.
Inspections can also include industrial
landfills and monofills (private facilities
that do not accept municipal solid
waste).
Thousands of inspections of pollution
control facilities and other sites were
completed by delegated agencies
during 1999. These efforts at the local
level stimulate the regulated
community to take all necessary steps
to comply with environmental
regulations. Also, prompt response by
local authorities does much to curtail
open dumping. t
Municipal Wastes Generated & Recycled
Estimated Waste Generated Waste Recycled_
Region Population Tons PCD Tons Percent
One: Northwestern Illinois 781,484 802,737 5.6 226,110 28
Two: Chicago Metropolitan 8,033,621 11,267,309 7.7 4,275,590 38
Three: Peoria/Quad Cities 758,244 948,658 6.9 231,092 24
Four: East Central Illinois 849,473 922,414 5.9 204,734 22
Five: West Central Illinois 562,783 374,242 3.6 104,594 28
Six: Metropolitan East St. Louis 712,317 570,648 4.4 202,335 35
Seven: Southern Illinois 439,899 395,930 4.9 50,368 13
Total 12,137,821 15,281,938 6.9 5,294,823 35%
14 v Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999
What’s happening in the
solid waste business in
Illinois?
v Fewer landfills, with larger capacities
v Consolidation of waste management
companies
v More transfer of wastes out of
metropolitan Chicago area into
Indiana and North and Central Illinois
counties
v Continued private ownership and
operation of pollution control facilities
Municipal Waste Management in Illinois
Municipal wastes accepted at Illinois landfills (see table on page 5)
show that 50.6 million cubic yards (or 15.3 million tons) was
disposed in 53 landfills. This amount shows 71 percent of municipal
waste stream as managed by the State’s la ndfills.
Many compost sites are located at landfills to manage landscape
waste which is banned from disposal. Agency permitted compost
facilities accepted 357,991 tons in 1999. The percentage composted
is two percent of the municipal waste stream. (see table on page 12).
Municipal Waste Management in Illinois: 1999
Composting
2% Incinerated
2%
Recycling
25%
Landfilled
71%
Local governments have surveyed haulers and recycling centers to
determine amount recycled in their areas. Recycling surveys
voluntarily submitted by recycling coordinators report 35 percent of
the waste stream is recycled (see table on page 13).
A small amount of suburban Chicago’s waste was incinerated at
Robbins Resource Recovery Facility in 1999, or two percent of the
municipal waste stream. The amount incinerated appears in the table
on page 13 as 377,852 tons.
Landfilling continues to play the largest role in the handling of the
municipal waste stream in Illinois.  
Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois: 1999 v 15
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Administrative Regions
Regional offices are located in Rockford, Des Plaines, Peoria, Champaign, Springfield, Collinsville and Marion