Illinois EPA begins cleanup of four illegal dump sites in Randolph County

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director Doug Scott today announced that the Agency will begin the cleanup of four illegal dump sites located west of Route 3, in Randolph County. Weather permitting, the cleanups will be completed by April 30th.

Over the next four days, a contractor will work to remove up to 250 cubic yards of waste from the sites, which are located west of Route 3 on Roots Road, Modoc Road, Falls Road and Gunclub Road. The cleanups will involve the removal of furniture, waste tires, demolition debris and miscellaneous household wastes, which have been disposed of illegally.

While all illegally dumped waste presents an environmental and safety problem, improperly disposed tires provide a breeding habitat for the type of mosquito that is the primary carrier of the West Nile Virus. The cleanup is being conducted as part of the I-RID (Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps) Program, which continues to remove environmental hazards and protect Illinois' beautiful landscape.

"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 beautify 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 650 tons of tires and nearly 860 tons of metal have been recycled from the cleanups and over 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.