Report Finding Few Trucks Littering Sparks Debate on Cleanup Responsibility

Article Summary:

A Will County report found that a very small percentage of waste-hauling trucks are the source of litter on roadways near the county landfill, sparking a debate among officials over who is ultimately responsible for cleaning up the area. While county staff detailed corrective actions taken with trucking companies, some board members insisted that the county must find a way to clean the roads regardless of who is littering.

Roadside Litter Debate Key Points:

• A county study involving 18 hours of observation found that only four of 296 waste-hauling trucks (1.35%) had litter-related issues.

• In response, landfill operator Waste Management increased communication with haulers, mandating vehicle inspections and threatening to deny access to non-compliant companies.

• Several county board members argued that the report’s findings don’t solve the problem of the heavily littered roads and that the county must take action.

• Discussion revealed that cleanup responsibility is divided among the landfill operator, the Will County Department of Transportation, and state agencies, complicating a simple solution.

A Will County investigation concluding that waste-hauling trucks are not the primary source of extensive litter near the county landfill sparked a debate Thursday over cleanup responsibility, with some officials demanding a solution while others pointed to a complex web of jurisdictions.

Land Use Department Director Harky presented the Will County Landfill Committee with a report detailing an 18-hour observational study conducted at six points along the main routes to the landfill. Staff observed 296 trucks and found that only four had issues: two were seen with a single piece of litter coming out, and two had litter attached to the vehicle that could potentially fall off.

“You have four out of the 296,” Harky said, calculating a 1.35% issue rate. “We had observed mainly two trucking companies that we identified that had these concerns primarily.”

Harky reported that he discussed the findings with Waste Management, the landfill’s operator. In response, the company has increased its communications with waste haulers, directing them to ensure tarps are in good condition and deployed properly, inspect their outbound trailers for loose debris, and use a designated inspection area. Haulers who fail to comply risk losing access to the landfill.

Despite the report’s findings and the corrective actions, several officials argued the core problem remains unsolved.

“I don’t really care how the litter got there. The dump’s there and it needs to be cleaned up,” said County Board Member Daniel J. Butler, who was not on the committee but who initially raised the concern. “It’s a beautiful country and it looks like a garbage dump. And it happens to be next to a garbage dump… It just needs to be fixed.”

Republican Leader Jim Richmond echoed the sentiment. “I don’t care if it’s our road or not our road or whatever. There’s a garbage dump there. And the perception is the garbage came from us… Let’s solve the problem.”

Harky noted that Waste Management actively cleans its own property and the private access road, Prairie View Drive, on a regular basis.

The discussion highlighted the jurisdictional challenges of a comprehensive cleanup. County Board Speaker Joe VanDuyne, who represents the district, noted that some of the roads in question are county highways maintained by the Will County Department of Transportation, while others are state routes.

“I have asked them to go out,” VanDuyne said of the county highway department. “They do periodically and do pick up the garbage as they mow the right-of-way.”

VanDuyne also pointed to the county’s Adopt-a-Highway program as an option for volunteer groups to help address the problem. He concluded that the Land Use Department had fulfilled its duty by investigating the issue as requested.

Vice-Chair Kelly Hickey, who chaired the meeting, thanked Harky for the “time and the scientific approach” taken to address the problem brought to the committee by Butler. The committee took no formal action on the report.