Racine's landfill is closing forever in three weeks

Jul 27, 2023

The plastics industry says there is way to help solve the crisis of plastic waste plaguing the planet's oceans, beaches and lands — recycle it, chemically.

RACINE — Kestrel Hawk Landfill will be closing after 59 years in operation. The plant, originally known as the City of Racine Landfill when it opened in 1963, is scheduled to accept trash for the last time Dec. 30.

But it won’t be considered “closed” for some time.

Republic Services, the company that owns Kestrel Hawk, 1969 Oakes Road, will maintain the landfill for the next 40 years, as per Wisconsin’s post-closure requirements.

Against the backdrop of an overcast winter sky, gulls fly as dirt is moved at the Kestrel Hawk Landfill, 1989 Oakes Road, in this 2017 photo.

After the landfill is closed, the process of capping it will begin — putting down soil and grass to cover up the trash.

This process is estimated to be finished in late 2023 or early 2024. The post-closure will not begin until Kestrel Hawk is certified closed, so Republic Services is looking at staying with the landfill until 2063 or 2064.

Mike Williams, operations manager for Kestrel Hawk, said it would take some time before anything, if anything at all, is built on the former landfill.

First things first: Kestrel Hawk must be capped.

To cap the landfill, 2 feet of compacted soil is added to the trash pile, as well as a geosynthetic clay liner and a geomembrane line to seal. On top of that goes a couple of feet of rooting soil, and finally 6 inches of topsoil that is vegetated.

“There’s about 4 to 5 feet of soil and materials between the refuse in the landfill and the top of the cover,” Williams said.

After capping, the land will be designated as a brownfield.

The Environmental Protection Agency defines a brownfield as a property for which the redevelopment may be complicated by the presence of hazards, such as contaminants. There are nearly half-a-million “brownfields” in the U.S.

While the nature of the landfill will make it difficult for buildings or homes to be constructed on it, many brownfields are cleaned up to make way for parks, golf courses or even fields of solar panels.

But none of that could be built anytime soon.

Part of the maintenance Republic Services will have to do is taking care of the gas emitting from Kestrel Hawk. Since 2001, the gas that has been generated by Kestrel Hawk has been cleaned, cooled, compressed and sent over to SC Johnson’s Waxdale Facility, where the gas powers the facility’s turbine. The gas collected from the landfill probably be quality enough to do this for another 15 years. Other maintenance duties Republic services will have is quarterly groundwater sampling, testing the surface water runoff and maintaining the cap covering that will go over the trash.

“Basically, the same things we do now on a daily basis we will continue for the next 40 years,” Williams said.

Kestrel Hawk’s closure shouldn’t have been a surprise to anybody. Depending on its size, the average life expectancy of a landfill will last from 30 to 50 years. But Kestrel Hawk has maintained operations for just about 60.

The lifetime of a landfill relies on a few factors: the shape of how the landfill is designed, the waste it collects over the years and how it is being maintained. Williams said that Kestrel Hawk staying open this long is “not untypical.”

But what is the city going to do with its trash now? It appears that a transfer station might be the solution.

The city is in negotiations for the purchase of property at 6030, 6110, and 6300 21st Street. That property is immediately east of Kestrel Hawk and north of Regency Point Shopping Center.

Once completed, the transfer station would store the city’s waste temporarily until a company contracted by the city picks up and delivers the waste to a landfill further away.

The cost of construction for the building and necessary equipment — such as a scale, a large front-end loader and compactor — would cost close to $3 million.

The city manages approximately 28,000 tons of solid waste and 5,000 tons of recycling annually.

No municipalities other than the City of Racine still use Kestrel Hawk.

An estimated 75% of the waste stream in the U.S. could be diverted from landfills and recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet less than 30% is.

The slogan "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" is believed to have been born around the same time Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in 1976. Since then, the battle cry has been used to promote conserving natural resources.

Reducing waste—whether by buying less or reusing existing items, is the single most effective way to limit what ends up in landfills. Diverting materials from the waste stream is also effective, whether by composting materials so that they break down naturally or by recycling common household items including paper, cardboard, mail, cans, glass, and plastic.

Recycling is more complex than sorting materials into the appropriate bins, however. The Rounds outlined five major mistakes many people make when trying to recycle.

One common mistake is placing items in the wrong bin, as in the case of non-recyclable materials being mixed in with recyclables. Another is not properly cleaning containers such as peanut butter jars and takeout containers that still have food in them—these can't be recycled if they still contain residue.

Compounding the issue are recycling supply chain issues caused by various materials bans in China, which used to process nearly half of the world's recycling. Over the last four years, communities across the U.S. have been forced to close drop-off facilities, end or limit curbside pick-up, and sell or discard materials due to the lack of funding and internal infrastructure necessary to support recycling domestically.

Keep reading to discover common errors people make while recycling and how to minimize landfill footprints while ensuring the appropriate materials get to the right place for recycling.

The EPA found nearly 25% of waste generated in 2018 was from paper and paperboard—that accounts for more trash than any other material. That said, paper also accounted for almost 67% of total material recycled in the U.S. that year.

The country falls significantly short on paper recycling—particularly when it comes to wrapping paper. While wrapping paper and magazine paper have similar glossy finishes, most wrapping paper cannot be recycled due to its shiny coating or lamination. Magazines, on the other hand, are recyclable despite their sheen, unless they have a special plastic coating.

Packaging gifts in more sustainable ways, such as using decorative bags or boxes that can be reused, is an earth-friendly option; as is purchasing wrapping paper that is labeled as recyclable or made from recycled materials.

Approximately 2.7 million tons of waste were generated in 2018 from electronics, with only 40% of that getting recycled. Recycling electronics is a bit more complicated than recycling other materials, as they generally must be dropped off at designated locations and cannot be picked up curbside.

Electronics like computers and cell phones typically have specific recycling guidelines. For example, lithium-ion batteries must be removed from the device and recycled separately, not placed in regular trash cans or recycling bins.

Many retailers and manufacturers offer a variety of options for recycling and donating used electronics, and many communities host free drop-off disposal events throughout the year. Local and national organizations also collect used phones, laptops, and other devices to support seniors, victims of domestic violence, families in need, and more. Before deciding to get rid of an item, however, assess if the technology could be upgraded to prevent the need to purchase new electronics.

The process of manufacturing glass produces an estimated 86 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. These emissions could be greatly reduced by recycling more, as no carbon dioxide is released when melting glass for reuse.

Most recycling programs allow for mixing colors and types of glass, though it is best to always check with your local community recycling program. Broken glass should not be recycled because it is dangerous for workers and can also damage equipment.

More than 35 million tons of plastic waste were made in the U.S. in 2018, with less than 9% of that getting recycled. Determining which types of plastic are recyclable can be daunting, as there are many types with different labels. Furthermore, the large variety of plastics makes the process of collecting and sorting quite expensive.

Recycling symbols—triangles with numbers in them—are stamped on items to indicate the type of plastic it is made from and how it gets recycled. However, the presence of a recycling symbol does not mean the item is recyclable in every location. It's important to contact local recycling programs to identify what is and is not accepted.

Plastic bottles can generally be recycled, even with caps and labels on them, as long as they are clean—but single-use items such as plastic cutlery or straws are non-recyclable. Plastic bags without zippers and plastic wrap can be recycled via designated bins at grocery stores. Still, these items should not be placed in home recycling bins as they cannot be processed through municipal recycling streams.

Pizza lovers can rest easy: Boxes—even when they are greasy—can actually be recycled, as long as any remaining food is removed. A 2020 study conducted by WestRock showed no reason pizza boxes should be excluded from the recycling stream. With an estimated 3 billion pizza boxes used annually in the U.S., that's almost 2% of the corrugated cardboard produced each year that can now be recycled.

Most recycling programs do not accept other food and drink containers, however, such as those made from styrofoam or paper coffee cups lined with plastic. Items like egg cartons may or may not be recyclable based on the material, so it is important to check with local recycling programs for guidelines. Paper containers that are wet or soiled with food are generally not recyclable, however, they often can be composted instead.

This story originally appeared on The Rounds and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

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The plastics industry says there is way to help solve the crisis of plastic waste plaguing the planet's oceans, beaches and lands — recycle it…