Officials: Garbage Picking on the Rise

Shortly before 6 a.m. on a weekday earlier this month, Jaclyn Stromberg heard an unfamiliar rustling noise coming from her alley.

"It's one of those things … it's early and you're a little out of it," said the 29-year-old, who lives in the 2100 block of North Fremont Street. "I was walking out of my apartment and peered down there. There were three guys, loading trash into a truck."

She didn't call the police, she said, because she wasn't sure what the men were doing was illegal. In many places, it's not. But the City of Chicago has an ordinance stating that it's unlawful for someone without a collection license to rummage through garbage, Chicago Police officers said. And according to the Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation representatives, reports of garbage picking are on an uptick.

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"… There has been an increase, particularly in scrap scavengers, recently," said Streets & Sanitation Spokeswoman Anne Sheahan. "… Apparently, when the cost of metal has increased in the markets, it's worth more, and they're seeing more people begin these businesses to make money."

A Crain's report suggests that despite a dive in the price of iron ore, Midwest steel prices have barely been affected, coming down slightly from $697.50 a ton at the beginning of the summer to around $662 at the end of August. Similar data wasn't yet available Oct. 18 for September, the report suggests. The price for aluminum is also steady, experts have said.

Such pay-outs likely explain the increase in garbage pickers, many of which are being seen in North Side neighborhoods. Recent EveryBlock reports detail incidents in both Lincoln Square and North Center. 

"This morning at 5 a.m., I went to walk my dog in the alley at 4400 Wolcott (Ave.) and there (was) a white van with two guys going through the garbage," Shawn Oliver posted on EveryBlock Oct. 1. "They looked like they looking for cans. When I came back through the alley about 15 minutes later, there was garbage all down the alley and the van had moved to the 4500 block."

Oliver, who expressed concern about a rat problem, said he called the police to report the scavengers. Chicago Police Cmdr. Elias Voulgaris said that's exactly what residents should do if they see people rummaging through trash near their residence.

" … Streets and Sanitation can issue citations for that," he said. "If people see it, just call 911. Any kind of suspicious behavior, people should just call 911."

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