(ILLINOIS) The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has released information indicating that the state has about 13 years of sufficient available landfill capacity. While this total is down slightly from last year's estimate of 14 remaining years, capacity has improved significantly since the early 1990s, when only six to seven years of landfill capacity remained in Illinois. IEPA officials note that the state is in far better shape than many East Coast states, which currently have little or no remaining capacity.

The capacity information is included in the 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 report includes statistics on landscape waste compost facilities, waste transfer stations, waste generation and recycling and solid waste planning efforts.

"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 in releasing the statement. "However, solid waste planning that includes recycling is becoming increasingly important."

The Illinois EPA oversees a variety of diversion programs, including the Waste Tire Program and Household Hazardous Waste Collections. The report notes that more than a half million abandoned tires were collected by IEPA this year. In fiscal year 2003, the Agency's Household Hazardous Waste Collection program collected more than 2,253 fifty-five gallon drums of toxic materials from 13,368 households across the state.

According to local recycling coordinators in Illinois, 5.1 million tons of municipal waste was recycled in the state in 2002. With total municipal waste of 22.1 million tons, this equates to a 25 percent recycling rate in the state, about the same as in 2001.

While the remaining statewide capacity stands at 13 years, regional capacity varies tremendously. The Chicago Metropolitan Region had only five years of landfill capacity remaining at the end of 2002, while Region Three (of a total of seven), which includes Peoria and the Quad Cities, had about 44 remaining years.

In compiling the report, 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 January 1, by waste disposed in the previous calendar year.

Several major shifts in landfill operation affected the overall capacity picture. The Woodland Recycling and Disposal facility in South Elgin, located in Region Two, ceased accepting waste in November 2002. The 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. Also located in Region Four, the Livingston County Landfill in Pontiac is the second largest landfill in the country, based on 2002 waste receipts.

Approximately 10 percent of solid wastes landfilled in Illinois in 2002, or about 1.8 million tons, came from 12 other states; over 78 percent of that total originated in Missouri. Although Illinois haulers also transported solid wastes to other states, they are not required to report this to the state of Illinois; therefore, the Illinois EPA is unable to provide totals on export volume. However, Indiana has reported 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 dumped in Illinois. The 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 green wastes.

For more information, visit the IEPA's website at www.epa.state.il.us.