New Hoffman Estates waste contract offers recycling

The main difference in Hoffman Estates' new garbage pickup program and the old program isn't with its cost, but with the recycling services, village officials said Monday.

Village Manager James Norris said residents and business owners can expect waste pickup rates to hold steady over the next seven years. The village board on Monday gave preliminary approval for a contract with Groot Industries that starts in September and goes through April 2015. After that, the village could extend the deal either by a year or five years.

Groot will provide special recycling receptacles with green lids to differentiate from the normal trash.

Groot workers will drop off the toters by mid-October in Hoffman Estates. Residential rates will remain the same at $16 per month for curbside pickup and $17 per month for regular curbside toter service. A senior citizen/hardship rate will be $6 per month.

Each single-family home will now get a 65-gallon toter for recyclables, while multifamily units get 35-gallon toters. Upon request 95-gallon and 35-gallon toters are also available. This is a change from the recycling bins currently used.

A commercial contract for businesses was also given preliminary approval, similar to pacts in place in Buffalo Grove and Skokie. Village officials say the deal will save business owners money and offer recycling services for the 80 percent of the businesses which don't have such services, according to Molly Norton, assistant to the village manager.

Hoffman Estates will hold an open house meeting from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at village hall to explain the new program to business owners.

Recently the village of Bartlett approved paying its waste company, Allied, a fuel surcharge which kicked in after the price of diesel fuel jumped over $3 per gallon. Hoffman Estates' contract doesn't include a fuel surcharge, said Groot's Frank Hillegonds.

Bartlett Assistant Village Manager Paula Schumacher said the tax breaks down to 11 cents per homeowner. At least through the end of the year, Bartlett will pay that amount drawing from its recycling fund. That means Bartlett taxpayers won't see the surcharge on their village bills, Schumacher said. Allied has to again come in front of the Bartlett board in the fall for approval of the surcharge, she added.

"As much as I would like to," he quipped.

Groot officials say that they're dealing with increasing motor fuel prices by switching to a fleet of vehicles using compressed natural gas. That change is scheduled to take place by 2012.