Mount Prospect garbage deal best among 23 communities, officials say
Mount Prospect residents stand to receive a very good deal on their garbage rates, said village board members who voted to extend its waste contract with the village's current provider, Republic Services.
Public Works Director Sean Dorsey said at Tuesday night's village board meeting that the proposed rates for residential refuse collection and recycling are the lowest among the 23 communities affiliated with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC), which handles Mount Prospect's waste. Dorsey said these rates would decrease 16 percent under the new contract.
The proposed single-family residential rate would drop from $12.62 per household per month to $10.60.
Commercial rates would go down between 2 percent and 5 percent and would rank the third-lowest among seven SWANCC communities with a commercial contract.
Multifamily rates would climb by approximately 10 percent, but Dorsey said that Republic's proposed cost of $65.46 per multifamily household per year is the lowest among surrounding communities with a similar rate structure surveyed.
Under the present contract that is set to expire in December, Mount Prospect-based Republic Services serves 13,595 single-family residential units and 8,351 multifamily residential units. In addition, it provides refuse collection and disposal for 691 commercial properties.
The new rates would be retroactive to January 2017, Dorsey said.
The new contract, which would expire at the end of 2026, will likely contain some new elements.
Most of the discussion Tuesday revolved around options for yard waste.
The board preferred a collection program that would eliminate the current yard waste sticker program for single-family residents and replace it with a flat fee of $1.15 per household per month added to the base price for all households. For an additional fee, residents would be able to rent a 95-gallon cart.
"Buying stickers is a pain," said trustee John Matuszak. "You always have to run out to the grocery store or someplace right before it's garbage day. And you're always running out."