Batavia, Geneva may join up for trash services

Batavia and Geneva city officials are working on a plan to jointly seek bids for residential trash pickup, to see if they will get better prices.

Both cities’ trash contracts expire June 30.

Representatives from the cities are studying three options:

1. The same service as today, with 18-gallon recycling bins, purchasing stickers for 33-gallon trash cans, half-size discounted garbage bags available for small households, and rental of various-sized toters for larger households.

2. No 18-gallon bins; everybody gets a 65-gallon toter for recyclables; the rest stays the same.

3. A one-size-fits-all program, where everybody gets the same size toters for recyclables and garbage.

Option 3 is not likely to be done, Batavia streets superintendent Scott Haines told the Batavia city services committee last week. “There are a variety of users that it won’t really fit too well,” he said.

“I do like where one would pay for services rendered” said Alderman Robert Liva, referring to the stickers program. Instead of a monthly fee, users buy and attach a sticker to their garbage cans whenever they need. Stickers cost $3.18 in Geneva and $3,11 in Batavia.

Geneva’s current contract is with Allied Waste. Batavia’s is with Advanced Disposal/Veolia. Garbage is picked up Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Batavia, and Thursday and Fridays in Geneva.

Nearby towns, including North Aurora and Sugar Grove, have gone to recycling toters. “The bins are definitely something everybody is starting to get away from,” Haines said.

Haines said people may be able to get 35- or 90-gallon recycling toters as well.

Last year, Geneva and Batavia jointly bid mosquito abatement contracts.