DuPage County unveils Vactor Receiving Station in Woodridge

WOODRIDGE – Illinois’ first Vactor Receiving Station – a facility that will process debris collected by public works and transportation vacuum tanker trucks – was unveiled in Woodridge last week.

The station is part of a shared services initiative that reduces the cost of disposal of public works waste and aims to keep pollutants out of area water supplies, according to a news release.

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin said the Vactor Receiving Station was made possible through a partnership between the county, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and local municipalities.

“The Vactor Receiving Station represents a huge effort to answer an important community need for waste disposal. Partnerships with the Illinois EPA, local municipalities and our many friends in public works and transportation departments have allowed us to collaborate and create a safer, less expensive waste disposal system providing more value to our citizens,” he said.

The newly-constructed $800,000 facility is located at the Woodridge-Green Valley Wastewater Treatment Facility along Illinois Route 53. Collected debris will be separated into liquids and solids. The liquids will be treated through the county’s waste water treatment facility, while the solids will be dried and eventually transferred to the garbage dump.

DuPage County Public Works Committee Chairman Jim Healy said the facility provides an environmentally-friendly way to dispose of the waste materials.

“This new facility provides a regional solution that meets the needs of DuPage County and our municipal partners. The Vactor Receiving Station is an environmentally safe way to process the waste material. By collecting the material at one site, we will protect area wetlands, streams and other bodies of water from contaminants,” he said.

It also provides a cost-effective approach for public agencies to dispose of this waste and ultimately reduce operational expenses. Healy said municipalities will no longer have to provide a large processing site, dry the material, contend with the liquid separation from the waste and then transport it to the landfill. Instead, municipalities will pay a tipping fee for the disposal service.

While the county will begin using the facility immediately, neighboring municipalities can utilize the service beginning this fall.