Solid Waste & Disposal Contract To Get 1st Reading In Downers Grove

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Some Downers Grove residents are urging the village to keep garbage stickers as the council continues to work toward negotiating a new solid waste contract. The proposed contract is set to have its first reading at Tuesday's village council meeting, with Amnesty Day and garbage stickers set to be eliminated if approved.

The village's currently solid waste contract is effective through March 2026.

At a village meeting on Sept. 16, commissioners voted 6 to 1 in favor of the motion to direct staff to negotiate with Groot, LRS and Republic Services on the fourth option of four options presented. Commissioner Martin Tully cast the lone "nay" vote, expressing his preference of option 1, which included garbage stickers for purchase.

"Primarily because there are so many people in the community that still vote for this in the sense that they still participate in it," Tully said.

He said he believes option one is "more aligned with [the village's] environmental sustainability program and the recommendations from the environmental concerns commission in support of a 'pay-as-you-throw' program.'"

Tully said it's been "very clear" to him through these solid waste contract negotiations others that "the providers want to get away from the stickers."

Per village documents, staff subsequently used option four to develop with what they are calling the All-Inclusive Program.

In the All-Inclusive Program:

• Participating homes rent 35-, 65- or 95-gallon carts for recycling and refuse. Rates are determined by cart size and residents can opt for carts of different sizes.
• A senior discount that applies to all sizes of carts
• Participating residents can add 35-, 65- or 95-gallon cart for yard waste and other organic waste at no additional charge
• Yard waste can alternatively be disposed of via biodegradable bags without the use of stickers
• Service providers will offer collection of organic waste an yard waste year-round

The village may be able to opt in for programs that accommodate the disposal of electronics and hazardous waste.

Revised requests for proposals (RFPs) were issued to Groot, Republic Services and LRS with the above provisions.

Village documents show each company's proposed base pricing for the first year of the All-Inclusive Option. These are listed below, along with current prices. Prices shown do not reflect the village opting in for hazardous or electronic waste collection.

35-Gallon Cart

Current: $20.46; no senior discount

Groot: $20.58 (not available for recycling or yard waste); $16.46 for seniors

LRS: $21.45; $15.02 for seniors

Republic: $21.25; $17 for seniors

65-Gallon Cart

Current: $23.28; no senior discount

Groot: $24.53; $19.62 for seniors

LRS: $24.45; $17.12 for seniors

Republic: $24.50; $19.60 for seniors

95-Gallon Carts

Current: $30.47; no senior discount

Groot: $26.28; $21.02 for seniors

LRS: $29.45; $20.62 for seniors

Republic: $29.75; $23.80 for seniors

Republic's base prices show a yearly increase of four percent, with LRS and Groot showing a yearly increase of five percent.

Residents shared feedback at the Sept. 16 meeting, with resident Channing Hesse sharing that she had posted about the proposed changes on the Nextdoor app and gotten a lot of feedback.

"It was surprising how many people are interested in this subject," Hesse said. "In less than 24 hours, I have over 58 comments."

She said one person who could not attend the meeting and had missed the deadline for public comments asked, "Could you please advocate to continue single-sticker pickup. I compost and recycle as much as possible —usually use about two stickers a month— which is about eight dollars a month."

Resident Steve Ruffalo estimated that about one-third of residents still use stickers.

At the Oct. 7 village meeting, at least three residents said they had concerns about the refuse sticker program being eliminated. Patch also received correspondent from a resident who expressed their desire for having the option of using garbage stickers

Residents can attend the Oct. 14 village council meeting at 7 p.m. to share their feedback on the proposed changes.