McLean County, IL Pushes back on Waste Plan

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Despite public support for McLean County’s new, 20-year solid waste disposal and recycling plan, County Board committee members pushed back Thursday and delayed action until Friday.

The County Board, which is responsible for approving the plan and sending it on to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, could pass a less aggressive version after a member proposed amendments to remove suggestions for Bloomington, Normal and county ordinances that would require businesses and landlords to offer recycling options.

"I do not feel that we should be forcing anybody to do anything involved in the plan,” said board member Ryan Scritchlow, who proposed the amendments. “Eventually the cost to recycle will be cheaper (than throwing things away), and the market will drive that.”

The plan also includes strategies to increase construction and demolition recycling and improve food waste processing and household hazardous waste collection. 

Ecology Action Center Executive Director Michael Brown estimated only about 50 percent of the county’s waste could be recycled without ordinance options, but the rate could reach 80 percent with them.

The county recycled about 40 percent of the waste it generated in 2016, the last year with data available. Brown said recycling has stagnated at that rate and won’t move much without aggressive steps.

The amendments also would see EAC, the Normal-based agency that designed the plan alongside Bloomington, Normal and county officials among others, hire fewer future staff members to handle waste.

"We’re not going to need another staff person if we don’t have those high goals,” said Scritchlow. “I did not request to have the goals dropped.”

Courtesy: https://wasteadvantagemag.com