County Commisioner Calls For Ordinance Banning New Landfills

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey and local environmentalists are calling for approval of an ordinance banning new or expanded landfills in unincorporated Cook, even though existing law already does that, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.

State and city laws put a moratorium on landfills in the city and county so you might wonder why Commissioner Fritchey is bothering with a new ordinance.

But he says the actions of one landfill company have him worried.

"When I filed this ordinance I really thought it was going to be really just a matter of course, simply reaffirming what we did once already. Lobbyists are coming out of the woodwork. You know that when that happens, there are plans in place for something," said Fritchey.

Community activists on the Southeast Side of Chicago say a company still wants to put a landfill there and they will fight that with everything they have.