SE Illinois News

Illinois state Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) celebrated the passage of a bill he sponsored that would examine the benefits of keeping renewable energy components out of municipal waste.

"Springfield Update! SB 1160 passed the Senate!" Fowler said in a Facebook post. "With Illinois turning to wind and solar as a main source of energy, we need to find a way to properly dispose of these items to help keep our earth safe. Unlike TVs and computers, solar panels are not banned in our landfills, and we need to look at ways on how to safely recycle dense materials from these sources. 

"Nearly five percent of renewable energy products are damaged either in transport or installation of the product and with the life expectancy of renewable sources ranging from 25-30 years, now is the perfect opportunity for a renewable recycling business to invest and set up shop in Southern Illinois!" he wrote.  

In his post, Fowler shared a link to SB1160 on the general assembly's website. The measure passed the Senate 55-0 on May 11. It had first been filed by Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) on Feb. 2, 2023. On March 24, Fowler was named chief Senate sponsor. The bill passed the House 112-0 on May 19.

The legislation would require the Renewable Energy Component Recycling Task Force to "consider the benefits of prohibiting a person from mixing renewable energy generation components and energy storage systems with municipal waste that is intended for disposal at a landfill." The task force is directed to issue a report by July 1, 2025.

The Renewable Energy Component Recycling Task Force was created in May 2022. It's made up of 15 members, including the director of the Environmental Protection Agency or a designee; the chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission or a designee; the director of the Illinois Power Agency or a designee; four representatives appointed by the governor, including one representing a solid waste disposal organization, one representing a renewable energy organization and one representing an environmental advocacy organization. Two members should be appointed by the president of the Senate, two by the Senate minority leader; two by the speaker of the House and two by the House minority leader.

Fowler isn't the only one who had concerns about the things that could be left behind at the end of the lifespan of the equipment used to create and distribute renewable energy. In 2021, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center announced it planned to look ahead to what to do with waste created by renewable energy equipment and projects. The primary goal of the group’s investigation was to figure out how to keep wind-turbine blades, solar modules, and lithium batteries from electric vehicles out of landfills once they are no longer useful.