Tag: Debra Jacobson

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Illinois Materials Management & Recycling Opportunities Report

Photo by Napasnan  – stock.adobe.com (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) 

Project Title: Illinois Materials Management & Recycling Opportunities Report 

Sector: State Government 

Location: Illinois, Statewide 

Services: Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Pollution Prevention, Process Optimization, Stakeholder Engagement, Resilient Solutions, Sustainability Planning, Waste Reduction/Management 

Background: Between 2019 and 2021, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Technical Assistance Program provided support to the Illinois EPA (IEPA) and the statewide Materials Management Advisory Committee (MMAC) in the development of the MMAC report submitted to the Illinois General Assembly in July 2021. In early 2022, ISTC began collaborating with IEPA to identify ongoing study needs associated with the MMAC Report. Specifically, the MMAC Report established the following statewide diversion goals: 

• 2025: 40% diversion 

• 2030: 45% diversion 

• 2035: 50% diversion 

IEPA commissioned ISTC to conduct a two-year study focused on researching large volume recyclable materials to better understand recycling and diversion efforts throughout Illinois and barriers and opportunities to further diversion. Through conversations with IEPA and stakeholders involved with the MMAC report, ISTC decided on five material categories to focus on for this study. They include glass, metals, organics (food waste and yard waste), plastics (#1, 2, 5), and textiles.  

This study focused on one primary question: Where should IEPA focus their efforts, resources, and funding to further divert these materials from the landfill? 

Approach: ISTC began by reviewing and analyzing data from the MMAC report, primarily Table 2 on page 26 and Table 4 on pages 56-57. Data from these tables uses the material breakdown from the 2015 Illinois Commodity/Waste Generation and Characterization Study Update (IC/WGCS) and applies it to 2018 landfill generation data. As of 2024, this is the most up-to-date data on waste composition in Illinois. Note that in conjunction with the Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Act, the IEPA will be funding a statewide waste characterization study to identify the annualized volume of individual materials generated in Illinois by geographic region of the state. That forthcoming waste characterization will provide updated waste composition data that can be used in guiding materials management decisions. 

ISTC then conducted research to better understand the state of recycling and diversion for each targeted material. In addition to the initial stakeholder engagement focused on MMAC contributors and participants, virtual stakeholder listening sessions for each material were held, with follow-up conversations as needed to accommodate scheduling conflicts, connect with additional individuals suggested by session participants, or to collect further information from session participants. Questions asked at each of the listening sessions included: 

• What are the barriers to diverting this material from the landfill? 

• What are the opportunities to further divert this material from the landfill? 

• What types of support and investment form the Illinois EPA would be most impactful to diverting this material from the landfill? 

Results: ISTC submitted a report to IEPA in December 2024 summarizing its findings. The report consists of chapters for each of the five materials listed above and a sixth chapter summarizing stakeholder input gathered from listening sessions and follow-up conversations. While existing efforts, infrastructure, markets, etc. differ for each material (and thus the research conducted for each material), each material category has subchapters on: 

• Definitions – Defining key terms used throughout the chapter. 

• Generation – What data is available to better understand generation of each material? 

• Impacts on the environment and human health – What are the impacts of allowing each material to end up in a landfill? What are the impacts of recycling each material? 

• Collection – How are these materials collected for recycling? 

• Infrastructure – What recycling infrastructure exists for each material? 

• End markets – What end markets exist for this recycled material? What markets need to be developed or bolstered for each material? 

• Existing policy/regulations – What policies and/or regulations exist in Illinois that govern the recycling process for each material? What policies or regulations could be put in place to increase the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Existing goals – What local, state, or national goals exist for the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Existing funding opportunities – What local, state, or national funding opportunities exist for the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Existing education & resources – What local, state, or national educational resources exist for the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Solutions & Research Gaps – What are the best practices for recycling and diverting additional material from the landfill? What research gaps exist to better understanding challenges and opportunities to recycling each material? 

In early 2025, IEPA shared the report with stakeholders who participated in the MMAC and provided feedback to ISTC as part of this follow-up study. IEPA subsequently published the report on its website to foster ongoing statewide discussions about improving recycling and sustainable materials management in Illinois. It is available online at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127016.

IEPA news release announcing the report: https://epa.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/epa/about-us/documents/news-releases/2025/03.24.2025-IEPA-ISTC-MMAC-Report-Final.pdf  

Additional press coverage

• New state recycling report shows different rates of recycling of materials, by Jess Savage for Northern Public Radio, 4/15/25.

Other projects with this client: https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/illinois-environmental-protection-agency-epa/  

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Cook County Solid Waste Management Plan 2024-2029

Project Title: Cook County Solid Waste Management Plan 2024-2029

Sector: Local Governments

Location: Cook County, IL

Services: Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainability Planning, Waste Reduction/Management

Background: The Illinois Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act (415 ILCS 15/) requires counties to develop an initial solid waste management plan (SWMP) and subsequent plan updates “that place substantial emphasis on recycling and other alternatives to landfills, to encourage municipal recycling and source reduction, and to promote composting of yard waste.” Having worked previously with TAP on a variety of projects and proposals, representatives of the Cook County Department of Environmental Sustainability (DES) reached out to TAP for assistance with writing their updated SWMP for 2024-2029.

Approach: DES and TAP staff reviewed the status of goals and recommendations included in the 2018 Cook County SWMP Update, and discussed the County’s current aspirations, challenges, priorities, and data needs to track progress and formulate recommendations. Data for this update was sourced from internal County program reports, waste haulers, municipal surveys, regional reports, state reports, census information, and research compiled by TAP. DES and TAP reviewed current research, analysis, and best practices from regional, state, and national programs to inform plan revision as well as potential new actions. DES also developed the Cook County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from local solid waste authorities, non-profits, institutions, corporations, recyclers, and the City of Chicago. This committee met regularly with DES and TAP to discuss ideas for preventing, reducing, and managing solid waste, to review waste generation data gathered by DES staff from covered municipalities, and to review plan drafts and suggested recommendations. Finally, DES staff held several meetings with other environmental advocacy organizations, municipal officials, non-profit organizations, recyclers, academic professionals, state and national organizations, and other related stakeholders to inform the plan update.

Cook County is committed to implementing, promoting, and expanding zero waste and circular economy best practices over the next five years and in line with the Illinois Materials Management Advisory Committee Report, which sets the goal of achieving a 45% suburban Cook County diversion rate by 2030.

Results: The updated “Cook County Solid Waste Management Plan 2024-2029: The Path Toward Zero Waste and A Circular Economy” plan recommends actions to reduce the climate impact of solid waste and provides direction for Cook County’s waste prevention, reduction, reassembly, remanufacturing, reuse, repair, repurpose, recycling, composting, collection, and other solid waste related investments, policies and practices over the next five years. The updated plan sets forth 43 recommendations for 16 major areas of focus that will help move the zero waste and circular economy systems in Cook County forward. 

The recommendations are based on the data presented in the updated plan and the feedback received from members of the Cook County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, local and state partners, environmental advocacy organizations, and members of the public. The recommendations represent programs and efforts the County can reasonably implement over the next five years that will help push the County towards achieving its new goal of 45% waste diversion rate by 2030.