(a) No person may establish any pollution control facility for use as a garbage transfer station, which is located less than 1000 feet from the nearest property zoned for primarily residential uses or within 1000 feet of any dwelling, except in counties of at least 3,000,000 inhabitants. In counties of at least 3,000,000 inhabitants, no person may establish any pollution control facility for use as a garbage transfer station which is located less than 1000 feet from the nearest property zoned for primarily residential uses, provided, however, a station which is located in an industrial area of 10 or more contiguous acres may be located within 1000 feet but no closer than 800 feet from the nearest property zoned for primarily residential uses. However, in a county with over 300,000 and less than 350,000 inhabitants, a station used for the transfer or separation of waste for recycling or disposal in a sanitary landfill that is located in an industrial area of 10 or more acres may be located within 1000 feet but no closer than 800 feet from the nearest property zoned for primarily residential uses.
     (b) This Section does not prohibit (i) any such facility which is in existence on January 1, 1988, nor (ii) any facility in existence on January 1, 1988, as expanded before January 1, 1990, to include processing and transferring of municipal wastes for both recycling and disposal purposes, nor (iii) any such facility which becomes nonconforming due to a change in zoning or the establishment of a dwelling which occurs after the establishment of the facility, nor (iv) any facility established by a municipality with a population in excess of 1,000,000, nor (v) any transfer facility operating on January 1, 1988. No facility described in item (ii) shall, after July 14, 1995, accept landscape waste and other municipal waste in the same vehicle load. However, the use of an existing pollution control facility as a garbage transfer station shall be deemed to be the establishment of a new facility, and shall be subject to subsection (a), if such facility had not been used as a garbage transfer station within one year prior to January 1, 1988.