DuPage County committee hears calls to remove single‑use plastic bottles; staff warn of impacts to care center revenue and residents

Jacqueline Casaza, president and co‑founder of the environmental nonprofit Go Green Glen Ellen, and Wendy Vernon, plastic‑reduction chair for the River Prairie Group chapter of the Sierra Club, urged the DuPage County Sustainability Committee to stop selling single‑use plastic water bottles in county vending machines and cafeterias.

Casaza told the committee the county should reduce single‑use plastics because of potential health and environmental risks: “I would strongly support this,” she said, and recommended installing refill stations and, if single‑use containers are still necessary, offering single‑use aluminum bottles while ensuring a recycling system for them.

The committee received a detailed operational briefing from Diane Worski, manager of support services at the county care center, who said the care center has already replaced many disposable items and absorbed about $50,000 a year in additional costs for those changes. Worski described trials to replace bottled water with aluminum cans and said the trial produced very low sales in February, which she characterized as roughly “an 81% decrease” in canned water sales compared with prior bottle sales in the care center’s test location.

Worski also outlined resident‑safety and staffing concerns if the county switches from bottled water to cans or other formats. She said cans spill more when residents carry them in wheelchairs or walkers, creating slip risks and additional cleaning demands for housekeeping staff, and that open cans are harder for nursing staff to manage in clinical areas amid current infection‑control concerns. “The bottles are better for our residents because of the spills, because they can put it in the refrigerator,” Worski said.

Committee members pressed for hard numbers before advancing any policy. A member identified as Greg asked about total revenue from vending; Worski said vending and cafeteria sales together approach six figures and that the county receives both a flat payment (noted as $5,500 in the presentation) plus a percentage of sales, but she told the committee the vendor has not yet provided a firm projection of revenue impacts from removing plastic bottles. Member Subhad and Member Jacob asked staff to supply comparative monthly sales for bottled water and canned alternatives to assess likely revenue changes.

Several members said the care center’s budget and resident services depend on cafeteria and vending revenue. Member Jacob said he could not support a change that would reduce revenue for the care center, and Member Lucy Evans said the committee’s initiative was not intended to force changes at the care center. The committee did not vote on any policy change; members asked staff to return with comparative sales data and further analysis of alternatives, including refill stations and the potential cost and availability of aluminum bottles.

Procedural note: the committee approved minutes from its Feb. 4, 2025 meeting by voice vote earlier in the session; the motion carried with no opposition recorded but without a recorded named mover or second.

Why it matters: committee members must weigh environmental and public‑health goals against immediate operational and revenue impacts at facilities that provide services to residents with medical needs. The committee directed staff to supply sales comparisons and additional details before deciding whether to recommend removing single‑use plastic bottles from county machines and cafeterias.