Village Installs Compactors to Reduce Madison Street Trash Overflow

Forest Park officials are hoping to combat trash overflow along Madison Street with two new solar powered trash compactors. 

The Big Belly compactors have been installed near Brown Cow, 7347 Madison St., and Starbucks, 7231 Madison St. The rationale was that both of those businesses use disposable materials to hold products, and those can often overflow trash cans. 

"If it's in the evening or on the weekend, we don't have staff working who can replace the bags," Mayor Anthony Calderone said in a news release. "So the trash collects and sometimes overflows the bin which is unsightly, unsanitary and at times, odorous. It's not the way we want to present ourselves to world." 

The village purchased the compactors for just under $4,000 per unit. If everything goes well with the first two, Forest Park could budget for more in the future.  

"If they work as expected, I will support the purchase and installation of more as long as it's financially feasible," Calderone said. 

Each unit compacts the garbage to hold three times more refuse, and they operate on solar power so it's environmentally friendly and efficient. According to the news release, they could also save the village money in the long run because they require less maintenance.