New law puts wastes to work

Government now has a chance to make sure our waste doesn't go to waste, thanks to a new state law passed this year to promote the smarter use of biosolids.

New technological processes, known as "resource recovery," allow for these by-products of the wastewater treatment process to be reused as fertilizer, which can then be applied to promote more productive soils.

State law, however, was not keeping pace with new science. This spring, we coordinated the push at the Capitol for House Bill 1445, signed into law recently by Gov. Rauner, which allows higher-quality biosolids from our wastewater and sewage to be cleaned and turned into productive, marketable materials.

This recent effort follows up on legislation passed in 2014 to allow the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to enter into agreements to recover renewable resources from its operations, including biosolids.

Not only can MWRD reduce its carbon footprint and be smarter environmentally with biosolid renewables, but it makes sense economically.

There will be an estimated $10 million to $15 million reduction in the overall annual cost of processing and disposing this waste - money that does not have to come from taxpayers.

Federal regulations recognized the importance of biosolid repurposing, but state law still considered it a pollutant. By changing the law to match the federal approach, we're embracing the biosolids as an agricultural asset - a key component of Illinois' economy - and setting the right example for environmentally friendly water resource management.

We're committed to continue working together on innovative ways to move our state forward, even when it means putting our waste back to work for us.

State Rep. Elaine Nekritz

Northbrook

MWRD Commissioner Debra Shore

Skokie