Return to Southeast Chicago Home Page

A landfill is a method intended to safely dispose of solid waste in a controlled manner on a prepared site, using soil to surround and contain the waste materials. Many environmentalists argue that this is an impossibility or at least that it has not happened in reality.  Municipal solid wastes and, at times, industrial and agricultural wastes are spread in layers and compacted by heavy bulldozers to reduce their volume.

At least once every 24 hours, a layer of soil of a minimum of 15cm (6in) in thickness is placed on top of the compacted waste and is itself compacted before more waste is added. When the desired depth is reached, the alternate compacted layers of solid waste and soil are covered with a layer of soil at least 2ft thick, which is revegetated. Soils suitable for sanitary landfills are loamy in texture, deep, and moderately permeable and have good natural drainage. Sanitary landfills are sometimes used as intermediate stops on the way to such socially desirable land uses as parks, agricultural land, athletic fields, playgrounds, golf courses, and parking lots. A number of landfills are located in this community. 
(Article by April B.)

According to Marian Byrnes, a local environmentalist, no landfills inside the city limits of Chicago have ever been permitted to receive hazardous waste.  Prior to RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, about 1979), there was no prohibition on landfills receiving hazwaste, so there was no permitting process.  When RCRA went into effect, landfills that had received hazwaste were required to close those areas and eventually remediate them.  Paxton Landfill somehow evaded all this, and succeeded in operating without a City permit until 1992, with the City having spent 10 years in court to close it.