Schaumburg regulates hours of junk haulers

In an effort to eliminate occasional noise complaints caused by middle-of-the-night junk haulers making pickups, Schaumburg this week began regulating the hours garbage vehicles can be on the road.

The new rules dictate that any person or company in the business of picking up garbage, old furniture, appliances or the like can operate their vehicles only between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

The ordinance was created because of instances of scavengers and junk haulers operating during overnight hours, Village Manager Brian Townsend said. The rules will be enforced on a complaint basis only, and patrol officers won't be instructed to be on the lookout for violators, he added.

Contract garbage haulers, which almost always operate during daylight hours already, are not the target of the new regulations, village officials said.

Scavenger businesses are known for collecting and recycling things like old refrigerators, sofas, bicycles and similar items which contract garbage haulers normally don't.