Elgin sets special trash pickup for flood-damaged areas

The city of Elgin has established a special trash collection to assist residents sustaining flood damage in designated areas.

The special collections will take place on regular weekly trash collection days through Sept. 8.

Prepaid refuse and appliance stickers will not be required to dispose of waste in these designated areas during this time. This service is only available to residential households with five or fewer units, and to condominiums or townhouses that receive service from Waste Management as part of the city's solid waste program. Trailer parks, businesses and apartment complexes with six or more units are not eligible for service under this program.

Visit www.cityofelgin.org for the Flood Damage Collection map.

The designated areas included in this special collection are as follows:

•Monday pick-up area: McBride Street; Cedar Avenue, north of River Bluff Road; and the area bordered by Congdon Avenue to the north, Preston Avenue to the east, Slade Avenue to the south and Bellevue Avenue to the west.

•Tuesday pick-up area: The area bordered by Laurel Street to the north, Sadler Avenue to the east, Villa Street to the south and Willard Avenue to the west.

•Wednesday pick-up area: The area bordered by Orange Street to the north, State Street (Route 31) to the east, Route 20 to the south and South Commonwealth Avenue to the west; the area bordered by South Street to the north and west, South Commonwealth to the east and Route 20 to the south; lower Wellington Avenue and Lessenden Place; the area bordered by Bluff City Boulevard to the north, Gifford Road to the east, St. Charles Street to the west and Hammond Avenue to the south; the area bordered by Villa Street to the north and east, Route 20 to the south and Willard Avenue to the west; and the area bordered by Highland Avenue to the north, Lynch Street to the east, West Chicago Street to the south and North Commonwealth to the west.

•Friday pick-up area: the area bordered by Wing Street to the north, McLean Boulevard to the east, Eagle Road to the south and Tyler Creek to the west; the area bordered by Tyler Creek to the north, Clearwater Way to the east, Valley Creek Drive to the south and Fletcher Drive to the west; the area bordered by Kevin Avenue to the north, Ruth Drive/Deborah Avenue to the east, Kimberly Avenue to the south and Tyler Creek to the west; and the area bordered by Wing Street to the north, McLean Boulevard to the east, Tyler Creek/Hoxie Avenue to the west and Highland Avenue to the south.

Residents are asked to observe the following guidelines in order to ensure collection:

•Loose trash items must be containerized in plastic bags or cans no larger than 40 gallons in capacity and not exceeding 45 pounds in weight. Items such as wood and carpet should be tied into secure bundles/rolls up to 45 pounds and no larger than 2 feet by 5 feet.

•Yard waste must be bagged in paper yard waste bags or tied into secure bundled up to 45 pounds and no larger than 2 feet by 5 feet.

•Bulk items such as televisions, furniture, tires, etc. should be placed out whole/as is. Please remove motor oil and gasoline from items such as grills and lawnmowers before placing them out for collection.

•A maximum of two major appliances will be collected per household without a sticker. Major appliances include: refrigerators, washers, dryers, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, stoves, dishwashers and hot water heaters. For safety reasons, please remove doors from appliances prior to placing them out for collection.

Hazardous materials such as paint, pesticides, automotive batteries, gasoline, used oil and computer monitors will not be collected.

Call the city's Household Hazardous Waste Hotline at (800) HHW-PKUP to learn how to dispose of these items free of charge. Computer monitors and other electronic waste may be recycled free of charge at the Kane County Electronics Recycling Drop-off, located at the Kane County Circuit Clerk Building, 540 S. Randall Road in St. Charles, from 8 a.m. to noon the second Saturday of each month.

If a home is not located in one of the designated areas and there is flood damage debris to dispose, call the Elgin Public Works Department at (847) 697-3160. Residents needing to dispose of wet sandbags also should contact the public works department to arrange for a pickup, since sandbags will not be collected by Waste Management.