About Us
The Sustainability and Resource Conservation Department, formally known as Solid Waste Management Department, was created in 1991 in response to the Illinois General Assembly passing the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act of 1988. The act required counties with populations over 100,000 to address waste diversion rates in each county.
In 2015, Peoria County updated its Resource Management Plan as required by the State of Illinois. Find details at https://www.peoriacounty.org/242/Resource-Management-Plan-Update.
Peoria county met the goal of 25% diversion rate by 1996, and it has since increased to 37%. We are meeting the State's recycling goals with the following programs:
- Recycling
- Composting
- Commercial Recycling Ordinance
Recycling
The easiest and most effective way to recycle is to subscribe to a curbside recycling program. Each municipality has different options, so we advise giving your local office a call for the most up-to-date details on how to enroll. In addition to curbside recycling, there are also drop-off centers throughout the County. Please view our recycling page for details: https://www.peoriacounty.org/235/Recycling-Locations
Composting
Composting - otherwise known as the natural way to recycle. Instead of putting out garbage to be sent to a landfill, composting household items is easy and gives you dark, soil-like material rich in nutrients. Check out our composting guide to get your compost program started: https://www.peoriacounty.org/1137/Composting-PDF.
Commercial Recycling Ordinance
Details of the County's waste disposal patterns were surveyed and identified in the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan. As indicated in this plan, 54% of the refuse generated in Peoria County was from the commercial sector. As a result, the County passed a new law, the Commercial Recycling Ordinance (CRO).
The CRO is a county-wide ordinance that mandates all businesses to recycle two items from their waste stream. The Peoria County Board unanimously adopted the ordinance effective January 1, 1994. For more information, see the Commercial Recycling Ordinance page.
Peoria City/County Landfill
In April 1998, the City and County of Peoria opened a new landfill in Edwards, Illinois. This facility, operated by Waste Management, is projected to have 20 years of life (capacity). Peoria County residents may bring one free pick-up load of household waste per week. This site also has a drop-off site for the collection of paper, cardboard, metal cans, glass bottles, and plastic containers. Details are at https://www.peoriacounty.org/203/City-County-Landfill.
Education
Our staff members are available to provide free presentations to school classrooms, businesses, civic groups and neighborhood organizations. For a list of programs and ways to connect during COVID, please give us a call at (309) 679-6690.
Internal Initiatives
Sustainability and Resource Conservation staff lead the County's internal recycling and conservation initiatives. The Sustainability Plan was adopted in 2011 to guide these efforts. Find it here: https://www.peoriacounty.org/1127/Sustainability-Plan.
Funding
The County and City of Peoria co-own the municipal waste facility (landfill) located in Edwards, IL. The Sustainability and Resource Conservation Department is funded through the County's portion of tipping fees at the landfill.
For every 1 ton of trash deposited, a tipping fee of $2.66 is collected. The City of Peoria and County of Peoria each receive 50%, or $1.33. This money is used to support the Solid Waste Management Fund/Sustainability and Resource Conservation Department.