Arlington Heights residents can choose between once- or twice-a-week garbage pick-up, with officials this week approving a new five-year contract with Groot Industries.
While a group of residents has tried for years to convince officials of the environmental and cost benefits of scaling back garbage collection to once a week, officials including Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes said based upon a recent survey, the community remains evenly divided on the issue.
“The survey results were very interesting and really in line with what I expected – 50 percent who want to go to once a week, and 50 percent who want an option,” Hayes said Monday. “I think it’s important that residents can still have (twice-a-week pick-up) if they so desire.”
With the new contract, all residents living in the 18,200 single family homes will be scheduled for once-a-week pick-up unless they notify the village that they prefer the twice-a-week plan, which has been in place for decades.
Residents electing to cut back will save more than $90 a year, or 30 percent less than what they currently pay, officials said.
Those who prefer to keep twice-weekly garbage pick-up will save about $8 a year, or 3 percent less, officials said.
Still, some officials, including Trustee Robin LaBedz, said the village should view the new contract as an opportunity to move “straight into once a week pick-up,” saying with only 699 participants, the survey results were “non-scientific.”
“No matter what, somebody’s going to be unhappy,” said LaBedz, who voted against the contract. “When I talk to people I work with, and they hear the village has garbage pick-up twice a week, they say ‘that’s unheard of.'”
“We’re repairing less and less roads every year,” said Trustee John Scaletta, who said he voted against keeping twice-a-week pick-up because of the wear and tear garbage trucks inflict on local roads.
But Trustee Thomas Glasgow said he voted with the majority for keeping a choice of pick-up in part because of a recent conversation with a local resident.
“She has a child who is disabled, and because of that, they generate a lot of trash that can’t be recycled and must go straight into the refuse bin,” Glasgow said.”That really put a human face on it, and I don’t believe she’s the only one out there.”
Resident Cathy McQuillan, a retired teacher and member of the environmental advocacy groups Arlington Heights Cool Cities and the St. James Earth Shepherds, said she was disappointed.
“I feel there were enough reasons and experts looking at the facts to help teach people in the community to move in that direction [of once a week],” McQuillan said.
Twitter: @kcullotta
