Allied Waste May Replace Trash Cans for St. Charles Residents

St. Charles residents may have to swap out their current trash bin for a new one provided by Republic Services/Allied Waste starting in January.

The switch will be needed if the City Council approves a new five-year contract for trash services with the company. The council is expected to vote on the proposed contract during the June 21 City Council meeting.

Now, city residents can use whatever trash can they want. They can rent a can from Allied Waste or use one they picked up from a store.

Some residents of Ward 3 have brown trash cans bought with city money in 2007. The cost for those trashcans was $52,0000, paid for with part of then Ward 3 councilman Mark Brown's discretionary funds.

Under the proposed contract, all city residents—including those in Ward 3—would be issued a new trashcan by Dec. 31, 2011. Residents would get to choose between a 65- or a 90-gallon bin. By 2016, Allied Waste would have to label each trashcan with residents' addresses.

Residents could keep their old trashcans for yard waste or turn them in to Allied, Tony Lamantia, Municipal Account Manager for Republic Services/Allied Waste, told city council members during a work session Tuesday.

The work session was relocated from city hall to the because several council members wanted to attend a summer tasting event put on by the Convention Center’s catering department.

The trash can swap is necessary because starting in January, Allied will switch the type of trash truck used in St. Charles to one with an automated side loader, which has an arm that grabs the cans and dumps them in the truck.

Council President Mike Klinghammer, Ward 8, said communicating the need for the switch will be important. He said many residents will likely wonder why they have to get rid of a perfectly good can. Switching to an automated truck is safer for the drivers than getting in and out of trucks, in addition to cost benefits, he said.

“This is going to cut the overall cost,” he said. “We’re not going to be looking at increases of any magnitude over the next five years.”

Councilman Dave Beckering, Ward-7, said the contract will save the residents and the city tons of money.

The proposed contract stipulates that:

• Service costs would increase by 1.5 percent in 2012, 2 percent in 2013 and would remain flat from 2014 through 2016.
• Residents will have two free yard waste pick up days, one in the fall and one in the spring, starting in 2011.
• Allied will provide an automated telephone system to advise customers of changes or disruptions to service caused by weather or holidays.
• Allied will contribute $12,000 for a city calendar expected to cost about $24,000, which would explain the dates for trash service and city events.
• Allied would increase the number of "hardship" units that the city can give out to customers who can't afford the cost of trash service.

The council discussed resident concerns about Allied, including the company’s customer service and ability to be flexible with residents who put out a single trash bag.

Councilman Mike Weller, Ward 5, said Allied needs to work on an improved customer service department.

“You never get the same two answers out of this department,” he said. “They’re absolutely just horrible. I don’t know what you’re doing as a company to fix that, but customer service is broke.”

Beckering urged Lamantia to do a better job of publicizing the Allied customer service number for city residents. Dialing (636) 255-6142 will get you Jeri Eaton, the customer service representative for the city.

"She's awesome," Beckering said.