Waste Dump in Iuka, Illinois, Cleaned Up

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) now has the funding to clean up various illegal dump sites around the state, and the next target will be the festering site found at 7404 Calvert Road, Iuka, Illinois, in Marion County.

The trash at the site actually spills onto the road at some points, and consists of old, rotting tires; wet, rancid mattresses; all kinds of rusting metal objects; abandoned dressers, couches, and varied kinds of furniture; debris from construction; and all kinds of paper and other trash. Local residents are glad to hear that the cleanup will begin on November 13 and should be completed by 16 November. Director of Illinois EPA, Doug Scott, explains that there are approximately 150 cubic yards of garbage at the site.

Especially worrisome are the many improperly disposed of old tires. Tires tend to collect rainwater, and the little pools are the perfect breeding ground for the West Nile Virus carrying kind of mosquito. The Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps Program (I-RID) is administering the cleanup as part of its ongoing effort to clean up similar small, scattered waste sites around Illinois, in rural and more developed areas.

Director Scott says that such "orphan open dumps . . . have festered for years," but now, thanks to the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Blagojevich there is finally reserve funding for such projects. The Illinois EPA is 37 years old and this marks a turning point in its development. 21,000 tons of junk have been picked up from about 120 illegal dumps and properly disposed of at legal landfills. Recycling has not been neglected, as approximately 300 tons of metal and 300 tons of tires have entered the recycling system.

Illinois has used fees collected from landfills to fund this attack on illegal dumping, adding inspectors and increasing the number of cleanups. When possible, those responsible for the dump are made to clean it up, but the state does so when necessary. Unattended dumps encourage more dumping, and are dangerous to anyone exploring them and to the surrounding environment. Fire can be another hazard.

The I-RID program works with local governments and has cleaned up areas from the far south of Illinois to the Chicago area.

Sites are not simply cleaned up and left. They are periodically checked to make sure more dumping is not occurring, and the Illinois EPA has the authority to fine anyone caught dumping more debris.

Illinois EPA Starts Marion County Cleanup, Illinois EPA