Peoria City County Landfill Committee Observer Report

​At the Peoria City/County Landfill Committee meeting Sept 18, the waste receipt report from Waste Management showed a drop in landfill tonnage for August 2019 with the year-to-date waste at 113,582 tons compared to 120,091.64 tons in 2018.

Foth staff presented a report researching declining waste trends at the current Peoria City County Landfill 2 (PCCL2), which was requested by the Landfill Committee. Several interesting bar graphs comparing amounts of recycling by year and tonnage at the landfill along with other analyses reached the following conclusions:

• recycling has a relatively minor effect overall on the landfill as the total tonnage is very small in comparison to total waste receipts at PCCL2 even with the new Peoria options of no-fee recycling toters and city-wide curbside pick-up;
• changes in the waste industry are affecting PCCL2 waste receipts as many former municipal solid waste collection companies that previously disposed of waste at PCCL2 are either closing or being purchased by other waste companies and these waste streams are being sent to other locations. The research showed PDC is gaining market share and Waste Management, Inc., appears to be having a reduction; in a comparison of tonnage  of waste received, the PDC Indian Creek Landfill at Hopedale shows an increasingly higher tonnage received while PCCL2 is dropping in amounts.
• The comment that waste receipts have decreased over the last decade across the region attribute the economic climate and sustainability efforts and states only a marginal impact from recycling. This report and other documents for the Landfill Committee meetings are posted on the City of Peoria website.

​The Landfill Budget for 2020 was presented with other information including the 2018 actual revenues and expenses, the 2019 budget and the 2019 year-to-date expenditures.  The 2020 Budget includes a significant decrease for waste amounts from what was projected earlier meaning a projected deficit of $29,450.00 is expected for next year. Several options were presented and the Committee will be looking at these in more detail at the next meeting. PDC is expecting to have PCCL3 open in 2025, which could affect revenues.

The Foth Engineering report included;

• two requests for Committee approval regarding groundwater monitoring actions for referral to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) for Significant Permit Modification Applications.  One was to apply for increased nitrate levels as up-gradient wells showed increases, however, an alternate source demonstration will be made. There was also a request for approval to send the IEPA an alternate source demonstration regarding elevated phenol levels at well G12S.
• A detailed report on gas flare shutdowns included a weather caused event. Another was due to a fault in the automatic notification system which is to give an alert to Foth staff when landfill gas flares are not working.  
• Changes are being made to the City/County Landfill's own pre-approved waste stream to allow faster approvals that could result in increasing the amount of host fees collected.  Without these changes, there can be a lag time of two to six weeks in obtaining Committee approvals with the existing limits on tonnage. The Committee voted to remove the tonnage ceiling as the pre-approved wastes must still comply with specific criteria before being accepted at the landfill.  

The Committee approved the PDC proposal for the conceptual Lake Rehabilitation and Wetland Enhancement Project Action Plan at PCCL2 as a replacement for the Vicary Bottoms wetland project. This topic had been deferred from the August meeting. Due to cost concerns and recent severe flooding showing the extent of area that could be damaged along with other issues, the Peoria Park District was no longer able to participate in the Vicary Bottoms proposal.
This was the regularly scheduled, third Wednesday of each month, 3 p.m. meeting at Peoria City Hall, Room 419, with Chairman Steve Morris presiding. Citizen’s remarks were given by a property owner near the city county landfill who spoke of overflow problems from a road-side ditch and that water has been over an area of Cottonwood Road. He would like the water drained to the landfill as it is currently running onto his property. After discussion, Chairman Morris said he would phone the county highway engineer to look into the matter as it sounded more like a roadway ditch maintenance issue.  
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Reported by Joyce Blumenshine, LWV Observer

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