>> WHAT CHICAGO IS SET TO ADD A SECOND WASTE FACILITY IN SOME RESIDENTS ARE NOT HAPPY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WBTW NEWS JOURNALISM STUDENTS FROM NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITYS MADILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM.

TAKE A DIVE INTO WHAT MORE GARBAGE COULD MEAN FOR THE COMMUNITY.

HERE'S NORTHWESTERN JOURNALISM PROFESSOR DAVID THOMPSON GREENWELL.

>> SINCE 1999 WAS CHICAGO.

RESIDENTS HAVE LIVED NEXT TO WHAT MANY CONSIDER UNWELCOME NEIGHBOR.

THE ONLY WASTE TRANSFER FACILITY IN DUPAGE COUNTY, GROOT INDUSTRIES RUNS THE OPERATION, WHICH SOME RESIDENTS SAY BRINGS UNWANTED POLLUTION TO THE COMMUNITY.

>> FEEL WOULD TARGETED BECAUSE WE'RE PREDOMINANTLY A MINORITY WITH CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL AND ITS MAYOR, RUBEN CANADA, APPROVED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SECOND TRASH FACILITY IN FEBRUARY 2023, JUST HALF A MILE FROM THE CURRENT TRASH FACILITY.

LAKESHORE RECYCLING SYSTEMS OR LRS WOULD RUN THE SECOND OPERATION.

IT ALREADY HAS A RECYCLING FACILITY IN WEST CHICAGO.

>> IS WHAT SAYING.

IMPORTANT FOR OUR CITY GOVERNMENT OR ARE HERE TO REPRESENT US HERE TOO, REPRESENT CORPORATIONS >> 53 YEAR-OLD LEANNA ALCANTARA GARCIA AND HER FAMILY HAVE LIVED IN THIS WEST CHICAGO HOME SINCE SHE WAS 3 YEARS OLD.

THE HOUSE IS ABOUT 4 MILES FROM KREUTZ TRASH FACILITY AND THE PROPOSE LRS EXPANSION.

AND AL CONTAR GARCIA SAYS SHE CAN SMELL GARBAGE.

WE DO GET THIS THIS GUST OF THAT.

>> THAT IS NOT THAT PLEASE PLEASING.

>> A SECOND TRASH FACILITY WOULD MEAN THE ADDITION OF 650 MORE TONS OF GARBAGE ENTERING WEST CHICAGO PER DAY.

NOT TO MENTION THE INCREASED AIR POLLUTION FROM DIESEL DANIEL BORDEN IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AND THE HEAD OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH GROUP.

>> ONE OF THE MAIN POLLUTANTS THAT COMES FROM DIESEL.

A DIESEL TRUCKS IS NITROGEN DIOXIDE BUT JUST SIDE HAS BEEN LINKED TO PEDIATRIC ASTHMA INCIDENTS.

IT'S BEEN LINKED TO ALL THE WAY UP TO PREMATURE MORTALITY.

>> WHAT CHICAGO IS AN AREA WITH A NEARLY 50% LATINO POPULATION.

THE PROPOSED LRS FACILITY WOULD ACCEPT TRASH FROM NEARBY COMMUNITIES SUCH AS NAPERVILLE AND WE CAN BOTH OF WHICH ARE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE.

>> IT'S SAD.

IT'S SAD BECAUSE EXACTLY THAT'S WHAT OUR US IS GOING BRING.

ALL THE RECYCLING AND WASTE FROM THE TOWNS FROM THE WHERE THEM EARLIER WAY, PEOPLE WEALTHY PEOPLE ON TOP OF THAT.

>> SOME WAS CHICAGO RESIDENTS ARE ASKING WHY THEIR CITY HAS BEEN CHOSEN FOR ANOTHER WASTE TRANSFER FACILITY, ESPECIALLY WITH A HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN THE AREA.

ACCORDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY ATTORNEY ROBERT WINE STOPPED WHERE CHICAGO HAS STRUGGLED WITH RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION SINCE WORLD WAR.

2 AND CONTINUOUS DIESEL TRAFFIC FROM NEARBY INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES.

THE PROBLEM HERE, STRUCTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IN MARCH 2023, THE GROUP PEOPLE OPPOSING DUPAGE ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM OR PULL THERE FILED A PETITION AGAINST THE NEW FACILITY WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD.

THE GROUP IS WORKING WITH WEINSTOCK AND HIS LEGAL TEAM FROM NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY TO STOP THE PROPOSAL.

>> RSS MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS WITHOUT REALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY WERE ALREADY OPERATING IN AN AREA WITH UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY AND THAT THEY WOULD ONLY ADDING.

THAT'S THE VERY TYPE OF POLLUTION THAT IS HARMFUL TO PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY.

THE PETITION INCLUDES DATA GATHERED BY OCONTO GARCIA INDICATING POOR AIR QUALITY IN THE AREA.

WHAT'S NEW HERE?

REALLY IS THE.

REAL ABSENCE OF ANY ADDRESSING THE THE LOCALIZED AIR QUALITY IMPACTS AND THE FACT THAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE TRYING TO STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT ABOUT IT.

OUR AND OUR FINDING NEW WAYS TO DO IT BY USING HANDHELD AIR QUALITY SENSORS.

IN ADDITION TO DISMISSING HEALTH CONCERNS THERE SAYS THE WEST CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL DID NOT PROVIDE RESIDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES.

THERE WAS NO TRANSLATION OFFERED AT THE CITY NONE OF THE MATERIALS THAT HAVE BEEN POSTED ONLINE HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH.

>> WHICH MEANT THAT ANY CITIZEN WHO WANTED TO MEANINGFULLY REVIEW ANY OF THESE MATERIALS.

>> WHO SPANISH PRIMARILY OR WHO MORE COMFORTABLE IN THAT LANGUAGE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO.

>> WHILE LRS DECLINED MULTIPLE REQUESTS TO COMMENT AT THE HEARING.

LRS ATTORNEY GEORGE MUELLER SAID THAT PULL THERE WAS USING THE TRANSLATION ISSUE TO, QUOTE, THROW US INTO THE CULTURAL WAR.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PROFESSOR RAMAN LIVE BATTLE STUDIES ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM.

YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF.

>> WOULD THIS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED IN A WEALTHIER WHITE COMMUNITY?

AND IF YOU CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT, YES, IT WOULD HAVE PROBABLY ISN'T AN ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM ISSUE.

MOST OF THE TIME YOU'RE LOOKING AT SAYING, NO, THAT'S NOT WOULDN'T EVEN BE PROPOSING MAYOR AND CERTAINLY WOULD BE SUPPORTED.

THE CITY OF WAS CHICAGO DECLINED TO COMMENT UNTIL THE ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD MAKES A FINAL DECISION.

NOTHING CAN BE BUILT UNTIL THE BOARD APPROVES THE SECOND FACILITY.

>> UNTIL THEN OCONTO GARCIA AND OTHER RESIDENTS SAY THEY WILL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN.

>> TO KEEP THEIR COMMUNITY FREE FOR MORE POLLUTION.

WE DESERVE IN OUR TOWN.

WE DON'T DESERVE.

>> POLLUTION MORE IN THIS WE HAVE ENOUGH.

>> FOR WTW NEWS AND NORTHWESTERN'S MEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM.

I'M AVA THOMPSON GREENWELL.

>> FOR MORE ON THIS STORY,