Land of Lincoln Goodwill Diverts 11.6 Million Pounds from Landfills, Spearheading Central Illinois’ Circular Economy

Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries (LLGI) announced today the landmark results of its 2025 environmental sustainability initiatives, revealing that the organization diverted more than 11.6 million pounds of material from local waste streams. With an 83% diversion rate, LLGI is reinforcing its position as a regional leader in the “circular economy”, a model focused on extending the life of goods through collecting, sorting, reselling in the retail location or outlet, to promote reuse first and then responsible recycling.

“Our organization has long embraced a culture of environmental responsibility and resourcefulness in the handling of our valued donations,” said Ron Culves, President & CEO of Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries. “We recommit each year to uphold and increase that viability, resiliency and regeneration.”

Turning Big Numbers into Local Impact

To make sense of the massive scale of these sustainability efforts, LLGI is translating its 2025 data into tangible community metrics:

  • The “Bus” Comparison: The 11.6 million pounds diverted is equivalent to the weight of approximately 300 Springfield Mass Transit buses being kept out of local landfills.
  • The “E-Waste” Mile: Through the Dell Reconnect partnership, LLGI responsibly repurposed 80,000 pounds of electronics. If you lined up the salvaged laptops and devices, they would stretch for miles, keeping hazardous components out of our local soil.
  • The Power of a T-Shirt: Manufacturing a single new cotton t-shirt requires roughly 700 gallons of water. By facilitating the reuse of estimated number of 1.7 million garments in 2025, the LLGI community helped “save” enough water to fill 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Innovation in the Aisles

LLGI introduced several operational “nudges” in 2025 to make sustainable shopping more accessible. A new “Mix and Match” pricing strategy for glass and plastic items encouraged shoppers to bundle and reuse household goods rather than buying new.

At the LLGI Outlet Store, a bold pricing initiative launched in November 2025 reduced the price of glass, ceramic, and China by 90% (to just $0.19 per pound). This single change diverted an additional 40,000 pounds of material—the weight of four adult African bush elephants—in just a matter of weeks.

Sustainability by the Numbers: Fun Facts

  • The 83% Club: While some municipal recycling programs struggle to hit 35% diversion, LLGI’s 83% rate makes it one of the most efficient “green” engines in
    the Land of Lincoln.
  • Newspaper Loop: When you donate your Sunday paper to LLGI, it gets a “second career” protecting a neighbor’s new glassware at checkout.
  • The Original Up cycler: While many brands are “going green” just now, LLGI has been leading the reuse movement for over 80 years.

National Leadership and Future Growth

The impact of Land of Lincoln Goodwill is being felt beyond Central Illinois. Both CEO Ron Culves and COO Wally Proenza were recently appointed to the Goodwill COE Circularity Subcommittee, contributing to national efforts to advance an intentional circular ecosystem. Locally, the organization has announced plans to open a second Outlet/Pound Store in Champaign, Illinois, further increasing the region’s capacity for landfill diversion.

“In 2025, we proved that sustainability and mission impact are not separate goals—they are deeply connected,” said Wally Proenza, COO. “Every donation dropped off at our centers supports Mission services and it’s a win for our planet.”