State Sen. Erica Harriss (R-Glen Carbon) is pushing legislation to bring relief to both Madison and St. Clair Counties in response to the ongoing trash and debris issues from local landfills.
“It’s very clear there is a huge problem when it comes to the trash in and along our roadways,” Harriss stated. “Since the first day I took office, members of the Roxana and surrounding communities have been extremely proactive in voicing their opinions and helping me find solutions to help clean up our roadways from trash and debris from the landfill in the 56th District.”
Harriss’ legislation, Senate Bill 3566, was introduced in February and was passed unanimously by the Environment and Conservation Committee. The bill would require all landfills in any Illinois county with a population over 250,000 to provide facilities for the cleaning of mud, gravel, waste and other material from wheels and undercarriages of all vehicles leaving the site.
The law currently only mandates the washing measures for landfills in counties with populations over 275,000, which includes Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry and Winnebago Counties. Harriss seeks to amend the law to include smaller counties, such as Madison and St. Clair Counties.
“This bill is a great example of how good government works and the fundamental process of taking community concerns to the state legislature to help find solutions to a big problem in our area,” Harriss stated. “This legislation is a good start toward addressing this issue, and I am closely monitoring other legislation in the House that could potentially improve the issue at hand.”
Harriss said she hopes to present the bill to the full Senate for a vote upon returning from spring recess.
The landfill debris has become a heated issue in Madison County as residents have drawn the County Board’s attention to the litter along Interstate 255.
Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler previously told the Record that the county has begun using a “tipping fee” fund to clean up the litter, which does not come from tax money. The county also gives away litter pick up kits for volunteers picking up litter in their neighborhoods. Roughly 4,000 kits have been given away in the last four years and include gloves, bags, grabbers, and vests.
Prenzler added that Madison County is encouraging the Illinois Department of Transportation to pick up the trash or hire contractors to complete the work as well as better policing trash trucks and other vehicles that contribute to the litter.
However, Chris Slusser - who beat Prenzler in the Republican primary for the Board Chairman nomination in November's election - criticized Prenzler for not doing enough to mitigate the roadway trash.
“County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler’s response has been weak, consisting of photo-ops and band-aids. He has spent tens of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars to pay for small cleanup efforts that are ineffective at best,” Slusser wrote.
Slusser said trash haulers have created a crisis situation, especially along Route 143, and should be held responsible.