Community members discussed their experiences with the Church Street Waste Transfer Station with councilmembers at the Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center on Wednesday.
For decades, residents in the historically Black communities of the 2nd and 5th Wards have protested the sounds and smells the Waste Transfer Station emits, which have contributed to racial health disparities. Over the past year, the city has renewed its interest in the issue.
Alds. Krissie Harris (2nd), Bobby Burns (5th) and Clare Kelly (1st) attended the meeting to hear from dozens of community members who have been directly impacted by the station. Over 50 residents attended the event, organized by Evanston Environmental Justice Coalition and Evanston Cradle to Career.
“I am so excited, with all of you in this room, to talk about something that some of us have been talking about for over 20 years,” Janet Alexander Davis, the co-chair of Environmental Justice Evanston, said.
Before the conversation began, Harris and Burns explained their work in trying to address concerns regarding the Waste Transfer Station, which is now owned by Waste Management, Inc. The councilmembers said they have met with lawyers and participated in a walk-through of the station.
Burns listed several options for addressing the concerns residents have raised, including working with Waste Management to make changes, initiating a voluntary relocation of the station or forcing the station’s relocation by suing the company under a violation of the Illinois Constitution, which Burns said would require millions of dollars.
“I’m here today to hear about what people are experiencing,” Burns said. “What direction does this group want to take? What do we want to do? And whatever that is, I think Councilmember Harris and I are here to hear you out and work with you to figure out the best modes of action.”
Still, some residents said the city has failed to act to appropriately address the issue.
Evanston resident Dorothy Headd said she has been protesting the Waste Transfer Station since 2011, and the problems being discussed at Wednesday’s meeting are the same as the ones she voiced then.
“Nothing has been done,” Headd said. “They really, truly don’t care because if they cared, they would do something about this and work out something to get that waste transfer station out of this neighborhood.”
Other residents have recently experienced issues regarding the station and are new to the movement.
Evanston resident Robert Lang moved into his home neighboring the station in July and quickly realized the implications of living near it after watching his picture frames break because of vibrations from the station.
“I really didn’t know what to expect. It’s a daily occurrence,” Lang said. “I’m worried it’s doing damage to my house.”
Organizers said they hope the meeting would be the beginning of many gatherings to create a plan to address the issues posed by the Waste Transfer Station.
“We’re done,” EJ Evanston co-chair Jerri Garl said. “We want action. We are done talking about this for 20 years.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— City returns focus to Waste Transfer Station as Evanston residents continue to express discontent
