By TIM SHELLEY
of WCBU, Peoria Public Radio
The Peoria County Board wants GFL to move ahead with the construction of Landfill #3 sooner rather than later.
That outcome of a policy discussion on July 11 is the latest movement in what’s been a long and complicated ongoing process to move forward.
There’s essentially two parallel stories happening in the ongoing landfill saga. On one track, the regulatory process to start construction of the new landfill is still slowly moving forward. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources doesn’t believe abandoned underground mines pose an impediment to continuing development on the proposed site, but the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency still needs to sign off.
The second crossroads is when that landfill should actually be built once the bureaucratic hurdles are cleared. Landfill #2 is nearing the end of its usable life, and the city and county of Peoria need to send their garbage somewhere. Landfill #3 can’t feasibly open in time. So there’s a couple stopgap measures that can bridge the gap after Landfill #2 closes, but a longer-term plan is needed.
GFL inherited a contract to build the new landfill when it acquired Peoria Disposal Company in 2021. The company came to the table after the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office served a breach of contract notice.
The contract calls for GFL to get started on the new landfill construction. But the company has instead proposed opening a new transfer station near Pottstown by 2026. That would handle up to 165,000 tons of garbage per year after the current landfill is full. The trash would be sent to GFL’s Indian Creek landfill in Hopedale.
Under that scenario, the construction of Landfill #3 would still happen, but it would be delayed another 15 years, ostensibly giving GFL time to recoup their infrastructure costs. The county would receive the same financial benefits it was promised in the Landfill #3 contract, including lower gate fees, and a $10 per ton rebate on city- and county-collected waste.
But Peoria County board member Linda Daley said the company should abide by the original agreement signed more than a decade ago.
“After reading and reviewing everything I’ve been able to get my hands on, I think we need to go forward with what’s in the contract,” she said. “I don’t think contracts are emotional. I think you sign and agree to do this, and we need to proceed with it.”
There are also concerns about new environmental regulations and how that could impact costs if the construction is delayed further out.
“I would prefer to start this sooner rather than later. I’m just concerned about the unknowns that could be drastically important to us and big going forward,” said county board member Eden Blair.
County board vice chair Sharon Williams offered reassurances that garbage pickup will still be happening. “Nobody should be worrying that their garbage is going to be stacking up anywhere,” she said.
A GFL representative declined to address the board at Thursday’s meeting.
The city of Peoria and the landfill committee also need to weigh in on how they want to move forward and reach a consensus.
— This story published in partnership
with WCBU, Peoria Public Radio