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 consistent with the plan. "One of the most important parts of the plan is it does create, under the state's siting law, that any proposed facility must be consistent with the plan," Willis said.

Environmental advocates and advisory committee members urged the board to remove or delay support for plastics-to-plastics chemical recycling. Seema Kesha, founder of Go Green Vernon Hills and Lincolnshire, said several U.S. chemical recycling projects closed in 2024 and raised concerns about hazardous byproducts, citing industry reporting and legal settlements. Barbara Klipp, executive director of Midwest Sustainability Group and a citizens advisory committee participant, urged removing the technology from the plan and recommended further study in a future five-year update.

Separately under item 45 the board approved a host agreement with Waste Management of Illinois for the siting of a waste transfer facility that the company says will include an expanded recycling component. Board members said the host agreement creates an opportunity to increase local recycling capacity and pursue Lake County’s diversion goals.

Discussion and procedural votes: a motion by Member Hunter to send the plan back to committee failed on a roll-call vote earlier in the meeting. Member Frank’s amendment to delete the specific depolymerization language passed on roll call; the board then approved the overall plan as amended by voice vote. The Waste Management host agreement passed after public comment and board discussion.

Why it matters: The county’s solid waste plan sets the local rules that must be met for siting new waste facilities and is used to judge future applications; removing the depolymerization language narrows what facilities can be sited in Lake County under the updated plan. The host agreement advances the proposed Waste Management transfer and recycling site, which proponents say could increase recycling but opponents worry could concentrate industrial impacts in already-polluted communities.

Votes at a glance: - Item 44 — Resolution adopting the 2024 Solid Waste Management Plan update (as amended): Amendment to remove "or depolymerization technologies to process plastic to plastic" — motion by Member Frank, second by Member Bilitzik; amendment passed (roll-call; counts not specified in transcript excerpt). Plan adoption as amended — approved by voice vote. - Item 45 — Host agreement with Waste Management of Illinois for a transfer/recycling facility in unincorporated Lake County — motion by Member Altenberg, second by Member Kanishnick; approved by voice vote.

Public comments and technical context: Speakers during public comment highlighted both local environmental and public-health concerns and practical recycling opportunities. Kesha told the board that "3 out of the 11 chemical recycling facilities in the United States closed down in 2024" and questioned solvent disposal and hazardous waste generation. Klipp urged minimum standards for transfer stations and suggested models from other jurisdictions that accept broader recyclable and reuse items.

Next steps and implementation: County staff and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County will reflect the amended language in the adopted plan. Board members and committee chairs said they intend to keep the topic under review and that the county can revisit plan language in future five-year updates if new information emerges.

Ending: With the amendment approved, the plan now explicitly excludes the specified depolymerization language. Board members who supported the change said they want additional committee-level review of emerging chemical-recycling technologies before Lake County grants siting consistency for those facilities.