Residents fear West Chicago could become the 'garbage capital' of the Western suburbs

For decades, the lone waste transfer station in DuPage County has resided in West Chicago.

A new proposal by Lakeshore Recycling Systems aims to bring a second facility to the county ... also in West Chicago.

The idea has outraged many residents who believe the city is being unfairly targeted as the "garbage capital" of the Western suburbs. Citing a threat to their home values and quality of life, they say a second waste transfer station should be built elsewhere in the county or not at all because of a lack of need.

In comparison, there are more than 20 transfer stations spread throughout Cook County.

Representatives from LRS insist a second DuPage County facility - one that is state-of-the-art and environmentally sound - is necessary to maintain healthy competition with other major waste companies. Another transfer station, officials say, would reduce garbage bills for residents and bring hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees from LRS to West Chicago coffers.

With the two sides unable to find common ground in the two years since the idea first was broached, the issue will come to a head during public hearings scheduled for the beginning of January. The final step of the process is a vote by the West Chicago City Council to approve or reject the proposal.

"It's not fair to our community to be asked to host a second garbage transfer station," said Nick Dzierzanowski, a former West Chicago alderman and a member of the Protect West Chicago group leading the opposition.

"Why aren't other communities stepping forward to help out in this situation?" he said. "Why is West Chicago always targeted for these nuisance businesses?"

A clear divide

The existing LRS facility at 1655 Powis Road recycles construction and demolition debris on a 28-acre parcel. LRS garbage trucks are stored there at night.

The LRS garbage trucks serve several surrounding communities and haul the refuse to transfer facilities such as the one north on Powis Road, operated by Waste Connections, and a Waste Management facility in Batavia. Building a waste transfer station on its existing property would make LRS self-sufficient by allowing the company to process and then haul garbage to its landfill in western Illinois, the company says.

No garbage would remain in the facility overnight. Hundreds of tons of material would be processed and removed every day.

"We're in the heart of the manufacturing district in West Chicago," said K.J. Loerop, vice president of business development at LRS. "We are not in a place where thousands of cars are going through daily. It is the right location for it."

But for every point made by Loerop and other supporters, a counterpoint is at the ready from the opposition.

While LRS officials say a second facility is needed for industry competition, detractors say there's still capacity available at the nearby Waste Connections and Waste Management sites.

West Chicago residents say they've already done their part with one facility in their city, and a second DuPage County station should be built elsewhere. LRS officials, however, say they've looked elsewhere and couldn't find another parcel that meets zoning and setback regulations.

LRS officials note the approximately $717,000 in annual fees that potentially could be paid by the company to West Chicago, in addition to a reduction in garbage bills for residents because of the increased competition. Residents say the reduction in their home values would amount to much more money lost.

"If you're going to save me three or four dollars a month in my garbage bill, and now values of my house are going to go down by tens of thousands of dollars because we're going to become the garbage capital of the Fox Valley ... no thank you," Dzierzanowski said.

Opposing residents dread the prospect of hundreds of trucks rumbling down their streets every day, as well as the environmental and infrastructure impact the increased traffic would have. LRS officials say traffic and the carbon footprint actually would be reduced because the trucks wouldn't have to drive to distant transfer stations.

The proposal

The idea of a transfer station is that three filled garbage trucks enter the facility for every one filled semitrailer truck that leaves for a landfill.

The proposal calls for a maximum of 650 daily tons of municipal solid waste and 300 tons of hydro-excavation waste to be processed and transferred from a new building LRS officials say would be 1,000 feet off Powis Road and environmentally safe with cutting-edge technology.

A total daily maximum of 1,950 tons of material, including residential, construction and demolition recyclables, would be processed at the proposed facility.

"Ton for ton, you want to have it go through our facility because it's more environmentally conscious and it's up-to-date with modern technology," Loerop said. "It's much different than the one they built 25 or 30 years ago, and it's not at the gateway of West Chicago or St. Charles on North Avenue. It's tucked away where it has the least amount of impact on anyone in the community."

West Chicago would charge LRS $2.62 a ton for the solid and hydro waste, creating the potential for more than $700,000 in extra annual revenue for the city. That's in addition to the same approximate amount the city receives from the Waste Connections facility just north of LRS.

West Chicago officials won't comment on the merits of the proposal until after the hearing officer presents recommendations to the city council. City Administrator Michael Guttman, though, said he hopes the community remains engaged.

"We encourage them to follow the hearings and encourage them to review the application that's available on our website," Guttman said. "If they have comments, they'll be able to come and speak, and there will be a 30-day comment period after the hearings are completed."

Next steps

The hearings will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. on Jan. 3, 4, 5, 10 and 12. The first four are being hosted by Wheaton Academy. The final one is slated for West Chicago High School.

After a presentation from LRS officials, there will be expert testimony on both sides followed by public comment. The city council has until the middle of March - 180 days from the time of the application submission - to vote on the proposal.

"It is a ridiculous proposal, and I hope our city council sees that as well," Dzierzanowski said.

During the hearings, LRS representatives need to offer proof the proposed facility meets all nine criteria established in the Illinois Environmental Protection Act. They'll offer evidence that there's a need for the facility with minimal impact on the surrounding property. They'll try to show the public will be safe and that they'll adhere to traffic, floodplain and other regulations.

There's no shortage of information to digest on a complicated and testy topic.

More information about the waste transfer station and the upcoming hearings can be found at westchicago.org/transfer-station. Details from LRS are available at lrsrecycles.com, while Protect West Chicago offers its point of view at protectwestchicago.com.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there," Loerop said. "We just want people to know the facts before they form an opinion."