News Releases - 2001

Illinois Has Sufficient Landfill Capacity for the Next 16 Years

Springfield, Ill. -- The remaining capacity for landfills in Illinois is sufficient for the next 16 years, according to the most recent data from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the annual report, "Nonhazardous Solid Waste Management and Landfill Capacity in Illinois," 1999 estimated remaining capacity was down only slightly from the 1998 level.

The report provides data on nonhazardous solid-waste landfill use for calendar year 1999. It also projects the number of years of capacity remaining using data certified by licensed professional engineers. The report includes information on waste transfer stations, landscape waste compost facilities, incineration, waste generation and recycling.

During 1999, Illinois' 53 landfills reported accepting over 50 million cubic yards of nonhazardous solid wastes; up from just under 45 million cubic yards in 1998. Although the waste disposed increased 13 percent, the capacity declined only slightly due to new landfills opening in the second half of 1998.

The report details waste-management activities in each of seven Illinois EPA administrative regions, and lists the volumes of wastes landfilled. About 10 percent of solid wastes landfilled in Illinois in 1999, or about 5 million cubic yards (1.5 million tons), came from out-of-state. About three-fourths of it originated in Missouri. Although haulers also transported solid wastes to other states, that information is not required to be reported.

Fifty-four Illinois landfills reported their available capacity on January 1, 2000. Included in these figures are two inactive facilities: Spoon Ridge RDF in Fulton County and Sangamon Valley Landfill in Sangamon County. Also, Cottonwood Hills in St. Clair County was still under development in 1999, but reported its projected capacity.

Significant trends in recent years are the mergers of waste management companies, causing changes in ownership and operation of landfills and transfer stations in Illinois. The federal government pays close attention to the percent of market share owned by the various waste management companies.

The Northwestern Illinois Region accepted 99 percent more waste than the previous year, because of the opening in 1998 and 1999 of three new landfills: LandComp Landfill, Lee County Landfill and Onyx Orchard Hills Landfill.

The Metropolitan East St. Louis Region reported an almost 160 percent increase in capacity because of the inclusion of Cottonwood Hills Landfill, although it did not open until late 2000.

Regional information identifies each landfill and projects the year each is expected to reach capacity. These projections, completed by the landfills themselves, assume no new capacity will be added.

In 1999, 79 transfer stations handled nearly 10 percent of the waste landfilled in Illinois. State officials expect this number to increase in upcoming years. The state's 48 permitted composting facilities processed nearly 358,000 tons of landscape wastes, a seven percent gain over the 1998 number. The state's only nonhazardous solid-waste incinerator reported 377,852 tons of waste incinerated in 1999. This facility closed in November 2000.

The 13th Annual Landfill Capacity Report will be available by April 1 for viewing or downloading on the Illinois EPA web site or copies can be requested by writing to the Illinois EPA's Solid Waste Management Section, P. O. Box 19276, Springfield, Ill. 62794-9276, or by calling 217-785-8604.