Lake County Recycling and Disposal Facility

About the Program
The Lake County Recycling and Disposal Facility is located in Kirtland Township, Lake County and Chester Township, Geauga County, Ohio. It was an active landfill used for municipal and commercial waste from 1927 through 1993 when the site was closed, capped and vegetated. WM's goal for this site is to enhance wildlife habitat and utilize the site for educational opportunities through cooperation with environmental groups. The site is comprised of 195 acres, which are devoted to providing habitat for local wildlife and increasing the overall biodiversity of the region. Land use surrounding the site includes forested woodlots, residential lots, riparian areas and wetlands. Five watercourses run through the site to their confluence before draining to the Chagrin River. Vegetative communities on-site are comprised of grassland, wetland and forested woodlot.

Practices and Impacts

• The project team has been managing the grassland since 2008, and many improvements have been made since the project began. Management has included native species plantings, mowing and invasive species management for each of the different grassland habitat types. There is a grassland and another area that is specifically managed as a monarch waystation and a pollinator meadow.  
• Between 2021 and 2023, there was an 8% increase in native species, with 64% of the 99 species now being native.