Here’s what’s changing for Elgin residents when the new garbage contract starts Jan. 2

A new year will be accompanied by a new waste and recycling hauler for Elgin residents.

After nearly 30 years of contracting with Waste Management, the Elgin City Council approved a change to Lakeshore Recycling Services earlier this month.

Residents will receive a mailer with all the changes in the coming days if they haven’t already.

Aside from the color of the trucks, most of the basics won’t change for Elgin residents. They don’t need to take any action for their service to continue.

They’ll still keep the same pickup day, use the same blue and gray carts and continue to have the service cost added to the monthly water bill. Electronic and household hazardous waste collections will still be provided.

The new contract includes a citywide flat-rate price of $24.95 per month for single-family homes and townhouses using the standard 64-gallon carts. A 35-gallon cart through the Reduced Waste Program can bring the cost down to $22.50. A larger 96-gallon cart option is $27.75 per month.

Online enrollment by Jan. 10 is required to change your cart size for the first quarter of 2025.

In addition, LRS will provide free yard waste and organic carts that are available with enrollment at LRSrecycles.com/Elgin. Yard waste stickers will no longer be required.

Stickers for extra trash are now $4 each and are available at city hall, the Meijer in Elgin, and Elgin and South Elgin locations of Jewel Osco and Ziegler’s Ace Hardware. LRS limits residents to two extra bulk items per week and will honor WM stickers through March 31, 2025.

The price for appliance stickers has dropped to $30. They are available only at city hall.

The biggest change for residents could be pickup times. LRS suggests garbage carts should be out no later than 6 a.m. on your scheduled pickup day.