WM
Bluff City Transfer Station
Elgin, Illinois, United States
Certified through 2025
Project Name
Project Type
Purple Martin
Avian
Phagmites
Invasive Species
About the Program
The Bluff City Transfer Station, operated by WM, is located a few miles east of the Fox River, approximately 40 miles outside of Chicago, Illinois. Three acres of the site, which serves as a landfill, are managed and monitored for birds and native and invasive plants.
Practices and Impacts
- Phragmites, also known as common reed, is an invasive plant that outcompetes native vegetation and displaces native animals. Site managers manage three acres of phragmites using appropriate techniques including mowing, controlled burns and herbicide application to control the spread and remove it from the habitat.
- Employees are regularly engaged in monitoring the spread and growth of phragmites. Throughout the year, they monitor the site to ensure their management is successful. When phragmites is observed, appropriate management actions are taken.
- A purple martin house is located in an open area within proximity to a pond. The house and project area are monitored for purple martins and nesting activity throughout the breeding season.
