cook county solid waste action plan--passed 4/3/12
DESCRIPTION
On Tuesday, April 3rd, Cook County Board approved President Preckwinkle’s Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) for suburban Cook County, the first plan generated in 12 years. The SWMP outlines the county’s current level of waste generation, disposal and recycling, and makes recommendations for improvement.President Preckwinkle’s 2012 Plan reimagines traditional solid waste planning. Instead of focusing on landfilling and waste-to-energy conversion, the SWMP first recommends source reduction (preventing waste in the first place), then reuse, then recycling, followed by energy recovery. Landfilling is a last resort.“We have a responsibility to the residents of Cook County, and future generations, to employ creative and aggressive measures to reduce solid waste in our communities,” President Preckwinkle said. “Our Solid Waste Management Plan is taking the first step in meeting this environmental challenge, and we are working toward a visionary goal of 100% waste diversion from landfills.”TRANSCRIPT
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COOK COUNTYSOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
PLAN
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Plan RequirementsIllinois Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act:
Requires Cook County to have a Solid Waste Management Plan and submit updates to the IEPA every 5 years.
1996Original Plan Adopted by Cook County and Approved by IEPA
2000 Update completed and approved by IEPA
2011Current Draft Update prepared by Delta Institute
2011 Update Includes:• Summary of current waste management conditions • Contemporary waste management options• The status of existing recommendations• New recommendations
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Zero Waste GoalThe focus of the update shifted from conversion and landfilling to a zero waste policy with an
emphasis on the “3 R’s”: Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling (Click on the link for more detail)
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The Plan Update Recommends 3 recycling goal levels
• Visionary goal of 100% diversion • Baseline goal of a 25% recycling rate for each
sub-county region• Stretch goal in the range of 50-70%
The state requires a minimum 25% recycling rate goal, but based on the experiences of other counties higher rates are possible.
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Plan Update StructureStructured around four major categories of the
waste stream
Typical household and
office waste
Construction and demolition (C&D) material
Electronic waste
Landscape waste and food
waste
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Data Collection
The Plan Update cites a critical need for more accurate and complete data on
waste generation quantities and recycling rates.
• Waste Generation data for portions of Cook County that do not have active waste management authorities varied substantially.
• There were large reporting variations within data over the years.
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Recommendations
The update includes thirty three recommendations for improving solid waste management in Cook County. Click here to review all of the recommendations
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Update Process• The Update was prepared with input from the three
sub-county solid waste associations (click the link for their websites):
• The Delta Institute also worked with other government and regulatory agencies, recyclers, waste haulers and their associations and, advocacy organizations to gather information for this Update.
South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMA)
*South Suburban Solid Waste Agency (SSSWA)
West Cook County Solid Waste Agency
(WCCSWA)
Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County
(SWANCC)
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Steps
Environmental Control Public
Hearing on Draft Update
Cook County Board
ApprovalSubmit to IEPA IEPA approval
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New Legislation Since Last Plan Update
The Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act (P.A. 95-059; 415 ILCS 150/)
Signed into law in September 2008, the act advances a producer responsibility model for managing end-of-life electronics.Will ban covered electronic devices from being landfilled in Illinois starting Jan. 1, 2012.
Illinois Composting Bill (S.B. 99) Amends the Illinois Environmental Protection Act (415 ILCS 5/).
Passed in June 2009 , the bill allows for the composting of food waste on a commercial scale without triggering requirements for more heavily-regulated landfills, transfer stations or other pollution control facilities.
Construction & Demolition Debris Legislation Public Act 96-1416,
Went into effect July 30, 2010 Amends the Illinois Environmental Protection Act regarding the management of Clean Construction and Demolition Debris (CCDD). The new law creates a state tipping fee for CCDD disposal and provides additional standards for materials being accepted at CCDD facilities and soil-only fill sites.
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Waste Generation and Recycling Rates
Waste generation has grown due to a slight increase in population and a larger increase in per capita generation rates in most parts of Cook County.
Recycling rates have declined among SSMMA and WCCSWA communities. Recycling rates in all but SWANCC communities still fall short of the state goal of 25%.
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Municipality Waste Agency Affiliations and Populations
• Of the 126 municipalities in Cook County, 95 belong to one of the three sub-county solid waste agencies.
• Since 2000, the population of suburban Cook County increased by 0.7% and is currently 2,499,077
• Not all areas experienced growth. While Elgin (which straddles Cook and Kane counties) grew 14.5% to 108,188 and Glenview grew 7%, other larger cities (Cicero, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights and Des Plaines) declined. Click on the image above for an interactive map
showing municipal waste agency affiliations and population changes.
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IEPA Map of Cook County Solid and E-Waste Facilities
Looking for a solid, or E-waste recycling facility?Click on an image below to go to a detailed facility map
IEPA Solid Waste Facilities IEPA E-Waste Facilities
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Contact Information
Cook County Department of Environmental Control
69 W. Washington St. Suite 1900312-603-8200