Kankakee aldermen direct staff to draft trash contract RFP with recycling alternatives

KANKAKEE, Ill. (Sept. 4, 2025) City aldermen asked staff on Sept. 4 to prepare a request for proposals for the city's trash collection contract, which staff said expires Dec. 31, and to include alternate price scenarios for curbside recycling, centralized recycling drop-off sites, free dumpsters and community-benefit allowances for alley repairs.

The move follows conversations with Republic Services and other providers about the rising cost of recycling collection and growing truck sizes that aldermen said are damaging alleys. "This contract expires December 31," the City Manager said during the meeting, explaining why the city needs to get an RFP out before the holiday season.

Why it matters: the city's current contract includes provisions staff described as an annual escalation and covers curbside recycling, bulk pickups and free community dumpsters. Officials said recycling markets have changed and that high contamination rates drive costs: "It's well north of, like, 80% of our recycling in the city of Kankakee is contaminated," the Mayor said. Those operational and market changes affect how many trucks are needed, the wear on alleys and the per-household price for service.

What aldermen asked staff to include in the RFP: officials generally agreed the…