Illinois EPA begins cleanup of illegal dump sites in Chicago's Ping Tom Memorial Park

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director Doug Scott today announced that the Agency will begin the cleanup of two more illegal dump sites located in Chicago's Ping Tom Memorial Park.  Weather permitting, the cleanups will be completed by April 2.    

 

Over the next several days, a contractor will work to remove up to 500 cubic yards of waste from one of the sites, and up to 225 cubic yards from the other, totaling 725 cubic yards.  The cleanups are being conducted as part of the I-RID (Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps) Program, which continues to remove environmental hazards and protect Illinois' beautiful landscape. 

 

One year ago, Director Scott was joined by Senator Dick Durbin and other local officials at Ping Tom Memorial Park to mark the progress of the removal of illegally dumped waste from the community.  Today, Illinois EPA returns to remove an assortment of illegally dumped railroad ties, concrete slabs and other debris, helping to beautify the neighborhood, which was without a neighborhood park for 30 years.  In 1998, the Chicago Park District began transforming it into a rolling green space with a children's playground that included extensive use of recycled tire matting and impressive river views and walking paths.  In 2002, the Park district acquired an additional five acres on the northeast side of the park.

 

"The goal of these cleanups is two-fold.  It not only will remove illegally dumped waste, some of which has festered over the years, but the cleanups also preserve the environment in rural areas and city communities, making the outdoors a  place to be enjoyed for generations to come," said Director Scott.  "I am grateful we can continue to improve communities throughout the state."

 

Since the fall of 2006, more than 220 of these often long-festering open dumps all over the state have been properly cleaned up by the Illinois EPA.  Almost 560 tons of tires and nearly 860 tons of metal have been recycled from the cleanups and nearly 36,000 tons of other debris has been taken to regulated landfills for proper disposal.  Items fly-dumped have included a car chassis, refrigerators, couches and even fiberglass boats.

 

With the funding, the Illinois EPA hires contractors to clean up open dumps where responsible parties cannot be located or where various specific imminent threats, such as fire, are present.  The new law also provides for permitting and regulation of the disposal of clean construction or demolition debris, such as in former quarries, and gives the Illinois EPA Director additional authority to seal sites where there is a potential risk for harm to human health or the environment.

 

Working with local and county officials to identify candidates for I-RID cleanups, Illinois EPA has cleaned up sites ranging from the tip of Southern Illinois to rural central and eastern Illinois and urban locations in the East St. Louis and Chicago metro areas.

 

The Illinois EPA periodically inspects sites to ensure that open dumping does not occur, and has the authority to issue administrative citations to violators of this and other provisions of the Environmental Protection Act.