In the early 1970s, Rockford’s municipal “dump” at People’s Avenue had run out of space. The facility’s closure presented the City with a crisis because it had nowhere to put its garbage. As a result, in 1972, Pagel’s Landfill, operated by Winnebago Reclamation, opened for business.

In the late 1980s, history began to repeat itself as Pagel’s Landfill reached a saturation point. The City of Rockford planned to site and operate its own landfill so Winnebago Reclamation proceeded with plans to close Pagel’s Landfill in accordance with current regulations. After years of deliberation, however, the City was unable to obtain local site approval for a new landfill.

In 1990, Winnebago Reclamation Service received local site approval to expand as part of Winnebago County’s solid waste plan for the future. After a detailed technical review, the IEPA permitted the Landfill’s operation as one of the first modern, Subtitle D landfills in the state.

In 2005, Pagel’s Landfill was renamed the Winnebago Landfill and Recycling Facility to more accurately reflect the operations performed at the site. After many years of providing a safe and integrated solid waste operation to area communities, Winnebago Reclamation has gone through the planning and approval process to expand the existing operation. This allows Winnebago Landfill Company to continue to deliver an essential public service to our local communities for many years.