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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Environmental Protection
3Agency (EPA), waste rotting in landfills can result in high
4emissions of methane gas, a precursor gas of the harmful air
5pollutant tropospheric ozone; additionally, methane is an
6ignitable gas and a contributor to global warming; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Illinois Environmental Council and the
8Illinois Environmental Protection Agency report that there are
9currently 42 landfills in Illinois; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The alternative to collecting waste in a landfill
11is often incinerating waste in a furnace; certain sites in
12Illinois, such as the site in the city of Clinton, incinerate
13potentially harmful medical waste only; other sites, such as
14the site in Sauget, east of St. Louis, incinerate both
15hazardous and nonhazardous waste; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Incinerating waste is often thought to be the
17remedy to landfills and their harmful by-products; however,
18burning waste has its own host of malefactors as burning
19plastics produces toxic substances called dioxins; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The World Health Organization notes that dioxins
21are highly toxic; they can cause reproductive and

 

 

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1developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere
2with hormones, and cause cancer; and
 
3    WHEREAS, RecyclingBins.Co.UK notes that gases from
4incineration cause air pollution and contribute to a
5phenomenon called acid rain, where the rain's pH balance is
6askew, which can harm natural wildlife, forestry, aquaponics,
7and agriculture; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency also
9notes that ashes of incineration often carry heavy metals and
10toxins that can make surrounding ground water carcinogenic;
11and
 
12    WHEREAS, Carcinogenic ground water often contains chemical
13compounds known as nitrates which, when ingested by humans,
14are converted naturally into nitrites, which can dramatically
15reduce the blood's ability to carry oxygen; nitrates are
16especially harmful to children and infants under 6 months; and
 
17    WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Environmental Council,
18Illinois' current recycling programs divert over 7 million
19tons of useful materials from landfills and save enough energy
20to heat and light 578,000 homes; additionally, recycling in
21Illinois reduces water pollution by 21,500 tons of various
22contaminants and reduces air pollution by 131,000 tons of

 

 

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1various contaminants each year; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Recycling in our homes, our schools, and our
3workplaces can help reduce the amount of waste that is
4transferred to landfill sites; reducing the amount of waste we
5produce can have positive effects on our communities and our
6State; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
8ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare April 19 to
9April 22, 2021 as Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Week.