Wauconda Twp. voters can limit trash haulers

Residents of unincorporated Wauconda Township can save money immediately and in the long run by approving a garbage collection referendum on the April 7 ballot, township officials said.

The Township Refuse Collection and Disposal Act would allow government to shrink the multiple waste collectors now operating in the nine unincorporated subdivisions to one through competitive bidding.

And that, according to township Supervisor Glenn Swanson, would quickly reduce waste collection costs to the consumer.

"The township board and the Solid Waste Collection Agency of Lake County would bring in all the providers and negotiate," Swanson said. "We would be able to get the most service at the lowest cost, and the residents could see considerable savings."

The second benefit of reducing garbage truck traffic in the subdivisions would be reducing wear and tear on the roads, Swanson said.

"Those heavy trucks are hard on roads and they tear up the edges so that we are constantly repairing roads," he said. "By going with one vendor, we bring down the number of trucks and we know right away whose trucks are responsible for road damage."

The government bodies would not be involved in collecting or processing bills, he said, and consumers would continue paying directly to the provider.

Approximately 550 households in the nine subdivisions will be asked to approve the referendum, said its author, Trustee John Amrich.

Amrich said the vote must be unanimous in all nine subdivisions, because the township would not be in a position to negotiate for some residents and not the others.

An informational meeting about the referendum and its consequences is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 11 at the Wauconda Township Hall, 505 W. Bonner Road.

No organized opposition to the referendum has surfaced in the township.