Mundelein picks exclusive garbage hauler; rates should go down

The cost of garbage removal should drop for most Mundelein homeowners once an exclusive contract with a suburban hauler begins in May, town officials said.

The village board on Monday approved a deal with Groot Industries, an Elk Grove Village firm, that makes it the sole garbage and recycling hauler for Mundelein's roughly 9,500 single-family homes and duplexes.

Garbage service will decrease from $22 a month to less than $21 a month, Assistant Village Administrator Michael Flynn said. Additionally, all homeowners will be given large, wheeled recycling containers at no cost. Previously, those containers cost an extra $1 a month for people who wanted them instead of smaller recycling bins.

Condominium buildings, apartment buildings and businesses are not covered by the agreement, so their owners still can choose from among the four companies licensed to remove garbage in Mundelein. Those firms are Groot, Veolia Environmental Services, Waste Management and Lakes Disposal Services.

Until the exclusive agreement with Groot, all property owners could select a garbage service from those four companies. Groot served about 85 percent of homes, Flynn said.

Village officials have been pursuing a contract with a single garbage hauler since 2007. They initially negotiated with Mundelein Disposal, until that firm was bought by Groot in early 2008.

Negotiations with Groot were delayed for a few months so officials could see how the company handled its service, Flynn said. Talks resumed this past summer, he said.

Going with a single garbage hauler will result in several improvements, Flynn said. In addition to the customer rate decrease, recycling should increase because of the larger containers, he said.

"It increases the ... ease of recycling," Flynn said.

And because they have lids, the containers should reduce the amount of litter flying around village streets, Flynn said.

As an added bonus, lower rates are available for senior citizens and for people who think they produce less garbage, Flynn said.

Landscape waste collection options at additional fees are included in the deal. A spring cleanup program and a fall leaf-collection effort are included, too, at no charge to the village.

That will save the village about $100,000 a year, Flynn said.

Under the terms of the deal, Groot's rates will be frozen until October 2010.

Only about 1,000 homeowners in Mundelein use a garbage hauler other than Groot now, Flynn said. Collection days shouldn't change for most residents.

Groot will mail a brochure about the changes to homeowners, Flynn said. Additionally, information about the new services will be included in an upcoming edition of the village newsletter and on the village Web site, mundelein.org.

Anyone with questions about the changes can call Flynn at (847) 949-3200.