DG Residents Push For Sticker Program As Waste Contract Negotiations Continue

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Several residents spoke up at a village council meeting on Oct. 14, urging Downers Grove commissioners to include an option for trash stickers amid ongoing waste contract negotiations.

The resolution had a first reading at the Oct. 14 meeting.

During the meeting's public comment portion, resident Carol Olsen remarked that she has concerns about eliminating the sticker program. Olson suggested residents who rent trash carts under the new program should only be charged when they put their carts out for collection, per meeting minutes.

Steve Ruffolo, who expressed concerns about sustainability, suggested the village adopt a pay-as-you go program.

Commissioners took a recess before discussing the resolution. Commissioner Rob Roe said he thinks there should be a bigger price spread for rental between 33-gallon carts and larger ones. He expressed that the current price spread is not enough to deter residents from shifting how much they throw out.

Commissioner Leslie Sadowski-Fugitt said she also wants a more considerable difference in the pricing for cart rentals.

Village staff plans to ask the vendor companies for a wider spread in pricing in their proposals.

Some commissioners said they would like to remove the option for residents who rent 33-gallon carts to include two additional bags of trash at no charge. Commissioner Chris Gilmartin posed the question of how extra trash should be handled if residents are not given that option.

Commissioner Roe said stickers should be available in case the option to add a free bag of trash is removed. Gilmartin later echoed these sentiments.

Sadowski-Fugitt and Commissioner Michael Davenport and Commissioner Tammy Sarver said they would not oppose vendors removing the option for free extra bags of trash.

Davenport asked for an estimate if a resident needs a special collection for additional trash that won't fit in the cart they have.

The majority of commissioners said they favored option four of the proposed resolution. Commissioner Martin Tully and Mayor Bob Barnett said they preferred option one, but Barnett said all the options are still not ideal for him. He also mentioned an ala carte option would be more preferable.

The village council hopes to finalize a contract by Dec. 1.