Changes expected for Elgin waste removal program
Elgin City Council members will extend the current garbage and recycling contract with Waste Management through 2014 and use the next two years to gather community input about how to change the program moving forward.
The city is saving more than $4 million this year by passing on the cost of garbage and recycling services to residents — rather than the city paying for the service through property tax collections. The change was formalized in December with approval of the 2012 budget.
The standard rate for single-family homeowners is $13.25 per month this year.
The average Elgin resident should expect to pay $13.45 each month for refuse collection in 2013 and $13.85 the next year based on the agreement extension.
Residents adapting to paying for their own waste removal have already begun to recommend options for the future, city officials said. Suggestions include: food scrap collection; separate options for seniors, condominiums, townhouses and active adult communities; exclusions for vacant properties; volume-based rates; opt-out provisions; regular household hazardous waste collection; expansion of the yard waste component and alternative cart sizing options.
The original agreement with Waste Management, signed in 2002, created an innovative program encouraging recycling and waste reduction. The average volume of waste per household has dropped 42 percent since the program started in 2001 and recycling has increased, according to city officials.
Councilwoman Tish Powell commended residents for reducing waste over the last 10 years as Elgin has become a model community with its garbage and recycling program. She pointed to a future “pay as you throw” model where rates are based on what individuals produce as well as the possibility of adding a third cart for compostable items like food scraps.
Powell said changes are especially important now that the city has begun passing on the cost of waste removal to residents.
“It's going to be important to folks to have some control over what they're paying,” Powell said.
Reviewing waste management practices is already an identified priority for the strategic planning process. Council members must officially extend the contract during the April 25 council meeting.