How much are you paying to throw it away? Depends on where you live

Each week it costs West Dundee about $5.50 per house to get rid of the garbage and recyclables accumulated by its residents.

Homeowners probably don't know that because they never get billed directly for trash removal since the village has been using property tax revenue to cover those costs for years.

That might be changing soon. West Dundee could be leaving a dwindling fraternity of suburbs that provide waste hauling for residents without charging fees.

Residents in other suburbs pay monthly fees reaching as high as $29 in Lisle, $30 in Rolling Meadows and $33 in Barrington for weekly emptying of a 90-gallon or larger container, a Daily Herald analysis of suburban residential garbage rates shows.

Among 72 suburbs, residents are charged $20.69 a month on average to have a 90-gallon or larger container emptied once a week. West Dundee is one of nine suburbs that don't charge or heavily subsidize those costs.

If that changes, West Dundee residents could be on the hook for around $23.75 a month - $285 a year - for garbage collection.

"We're looking at what the best scenario is for the community," said West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro. "But it's not just refuse collecting being explored."

Cavallaro said the village board is looking to generate $500,000 extra a year to sustain a capital improvements fund. Last year, the village paid $576,000 for residential garbage and recycling hauling services.

Other options are property tax hikes, increases to the sales tax, a food and beverage tax increase, vehicle stickers or bumps to the real estate transfer fee or gasoline tax, Cavallaro said.

The money would be used for streets and infrastructure improvements, repairs to village facilities, and vehicle or equipment replacement.

Itasca is one of the few towns where residents receive no bill at all for garbage collection.

"Yes, we are unique ... but it is getting harder and harder to afford this benefit," said Itasca Village Manager Evan Teich. "The goal would be to continue this benefit for as long as it is financially feasible."

Teich said reductions in state shared revenue, declines in sales tax revenues and rising pension costs are putting pressure on the village's finances and the free garbage hauling program.

Carpentersville, East Dundee, Lake Barrington, Rosemont, Round Lake and Schaumburg are the other suburbs that either provide free garbage hauling or subsidize so much that costs are less than $10 a month for residents who use even the largest containers.

Mount Prospect stopped providing free garbage removal for residents about five years ago. Today, residents pay $20.25 a month for collection service on the largest waste containers. Property taxes that were once earmarked for garbage collection are now used elsewhere to fill budget gaps.

"The big thing for us was when it was on the property tax bill, the burden falls on the industrial and commercial properties that don't receive that service," said Mount Prospect Finance Director Dave Erb.

There are a lot of options available to residents when it comes to waste hauling, depending on where you live. Some towns build recycling and yard waste costs into contracts with haulers. Others allow residents to schedule twice-a-week pickups for additional fees. Most towns have price reductions for smaller containers. Senior citizens in 38 of the towns are also eligible for discounts that range anywhere from half off to 10 percent less than regular costs.

Many towns use a sticker program that allows residents to pay for only what they throw out. In Lisle, it can cost nearly $29 a month for collection of a 90-plus-gallon garbage can. But residents who have only one bag of trash a week can put a $3.05 sticker on the bag instead.

"Approximately 75 percent of the Lisle residents that receive curbside refuse and recycling collection service purchase garbage stickers," said Eric Ertmoed, Lisle's assistant village manager. "This pay-as-you-throw system allows residents to only pay for what they throw away."

Cavallaro said the West Dundee board will be making a decision on garbage collection costs during upcoming budget talks.