West Chicago approves second waste transfer station

After more than two years of contentious debate in the community, the West Chicago City Council on Tuesday approved plans for a second waste transfer station in the city.

While attorneys representing Protect West Chicago, the main group opposing the project, said they'll appeal the decision to the Illinois Pollution Control Board, the 11-3 vote by the city council opens the door for Lakeshore Recycling Systems to undertake a dramatic expansion of its operations at 1655 Powis Road.

Representatives from Lakeshore, which currently recycles construction and demolition debris on a 28-acre parcel, insist a second transfer station is necessary to maintain healthy financial competition with other major waste companies. Another transfer station, they say, would reduce garbage bills for residents and bring hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in fees from Lakeshore to West Chicago coffers.

DuPage County's only other transfer station also is in West Chicago, just north of Lakeshore on Powis Road. Many residents believe the city is being unfairly targeted for waste facilities, which led Protect West Chicago to challenge the site application.

"To think that it only took the West Chicago City Council about four minutes to completely disregard the overwhelming opposition from the community is quite disturbing," said Ricardo Meza, an attorney representing Protect West Chicago. "The lack of discussion or real deliberation gives a new name to the term 'rubber stamping.'"

The issue came to a head in January, when the two sides engaged in a series of hearings to present evidence and expert testimony on the proposal in front of a hearing officer. Lakeshore was tasked with proving the plan meets nine criteria dictated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

Meza said Protect West Chicago will appeal Tuesday's decision based on several factors. He said proper notification of the plan wasn't given to representatives of the adjacent railroad. He also said the proposed facility is too close to residentially zoned areas and the minority population in West Chicago wasn't fairly treated during the process.

Lakeshore officials, however, said they've proven the merits of the project.

"What we're doing is going to bring savings for the next 10 to 20 years to DuPage County's businesses and residents," said K.J. Loerop, vice president of business development at Lakeshore.