Lake County Board narrows solid-waste plan, approves Waste Management host agreement

The Lake County Board on Jan. 14 amended and adopted an updated county solid waste management plan and separately approved a host agreement with Waste Management of Illinois for a proposed waste transfer and recycling facility in unincorporated Lake County.

The board voted to remove language in the draft plan that would have allowed "depolymerization technologies to process plastic to plastic," a phrase Member Paul Frank moved to strike during discussion of item 44. "I move to amend ... to remove the words 'or depolymerization technologies to process plastic to plastic,'" Frank said. The amendment passed by roll call and was incorporated into the plan before the board approved the document by voice vote.

The action followed extended committee discussion, technical presentations from the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County, and multiple public comments urging caution about new chemical-recycling technologies. Walter Willis of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County told the board the plan update draws a critical distinction between technologies that convert plastic back into plastic and those that convert plastic into fuel, saying the agency sought to preserve the county’s ability to accept or reject future facility proposals…