Mundelein officials divided over recycling plant plan
Mundelein officials are divided over whether a proposed recycling center should be allowed to open on one of the town's busiest streets.
In a memo to the village board, Police Chief Raymond J. Rose said he feared the proposed facility, which could open at 1360 Butterfield Road, would attract scrap-metal thieves, lead to complaints about noise and be an eyesore that could harm existing stores and future development in the area.
Despite those warnings and similar concerns from members of the village's advisory plan commission, a majority of village board members recently backed the plan and ordered the preparation of a special ordinance that would allow the facility to operate.
The board could discuss the proposal Monday, Nov. 24.
A company called Ecology Inc. wants to open the recycling facility on the west side of Butterfield, north of Route 60. It has similar plants in Prairie View and West Chicago.
Kaplan Trucking and Paving Co. operates on the Butterfield Road site now. Ecology Inc. would use existing buildings there, according to village documents.
The business would be open six days a week and start with three employees, according to village documents. Customers would deliver copper, brass, aluminum and newspaper to the facility, but the materials would not be processed on site.
The village plan commission recommended trustees approve the plan but only after adding several conditions, such as requiring all recycled materials to be stored in indoor storage bins. Additionally, landscaping and fencing must be added to hide the site from Butterfield Road and nearby businesses.
The plan commission recommended the proposal 3-2. When the village board debated the matter this past Monday, it voted 4-2 to move the concept forward.
Trustees Terri Voss and Ray Semple cast dissenting votes.
"I don't see any benefit to the community," Voss said afterward. "Butterfield Road is a gateway to Mundelein, and to put a scrap yard in our gateway isn't raising the bar. And I thought our intention in Mundelein was to raise the bar."
Semple said he was surprised the rest of the board backed the plan.
"In my opinion, a scrap yard is in the same ballpark as a junkyard," Semple said. "I don't think that's the best use of the land."
Trustee Robin Meier supported the plan. She said better landscaping could improve the current look of the site.
Meier also believes the facility will give area residents another opportunity to recycle.
"I think it's a good environmental fit," she said.