Garbage men work hard after storm cleanup

Last week was not an easy one for many East and West Dundee residents.

Many spent their time pumping water out of their basements after the wind and rain storms. Once they got the pumps going, they concentrated on cutting and collecting fallen trees and branches.

And the garbage men -- oh, pity the poor garbage men whose job it was to take away the waterlogged mess. They picked through the piles of furniture, toys, carpets, boxes and whatever else was soaked.

Last week, their job was heavier than normal and it took longer than usual to complete.

On Wednesday, Allied Waste garbage truck drivers inched along Barrington Avenue, North, First, Second and Third streets in East Dundee. It didn't take long for them to fill their trucks. On Friday, garbage men in West Dundee did the same.

"Oh, this stuff is heavy," said Allied Waste employee Mike Arrigo. "I'm seeing pretty much everything."

That included large-screen televisions; boxes of newspapers, magazines and financial documents; kids' toys; chairs; and enough carpeting to line small neighborhoods.

"Sometimes people are there to help us put the stuff in," he said. "A few customers have offered us something to drink, like water."

Those cold glasses took away some of the heat, but they didn't help with the dirt and smell of the items, he said.

East Dundee resident Dan Duda was one of homeowners who helped lift the furniture into Arrigo's rolling Dumpster. He lost everything in his finished basement when more than 4 inches of rain fell on the village the week before.

Like other residents, he wasn't happy dealing with the mess. And neither were his kids.

"I had to put my kids' toys in black plastic bags so they wouldn't see it," he said. "My daughter saw I was throwing out her little play kitchen and she was hysterical."

He couldn't hang onto it because some of the water in his basement had mixed with sewage, which seeped into homes.

"My job is a lot harder this week," said Allied Waste employee Jeremy Soderstrom. "There's a lot of wet cardboard out there."

While his co-worker collects general trash, Soderstrom collects glass and cardboard items that will be recycled.

"Usually, I can make it through the village with emptying my truck only once," he said. "Today, I'm going to have to empty it two or three times."

Soderstrom knows what Dundee Township residents are going through. He lives in East Dundee, near neighborhoods that were hit the hardest. Arrigo lives in Kingston, Ill.

Some North Street residents in East Dundee didn't wait for garbage day. They rented a Dumpster to throw their wet valuables in. And even though it was filled by Tuesday night, there were plenty of other items that lined streets, waiting for the garbage men.