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Waukegan aldermen discuss downtown recycling pilot; contamination fees and cart costs raise concerns
Summary
Committee members discussed a proposed downtown recycling pilot—two secure recycling carts at city hall and the train station—with staff estimating $35 per cart weekly and a $25 contamination penalty per incident; aldermen asked for a short trial and more secure receptacles before wider rollout.
Members of the Waukegan Public Works committee discussed re-implementing downtown recycling on Jan. 20 and agreed to pursue a limited pilot while staff gathers more information.
Staff reported that the city met with its hauler, LRS, and proposed a pilot placing two blue recycling carts — one at city hall and one at the train station — with weekly pickup at an estimated cost of $35 per cart. Staff also said the hauler charges roughly $25 per contamination incident when a cart contains non-recyclable garbage, which can cause an entire load to be rejected and assessed a fee.
Alderman Guzman expressed serious doubts about public receptacles, saying contamination would be likely and could make the program expensive to maintain. "I think we're going to be paying contamination fees for every single time," Guzman said, adding that the public often mixes trash and recyclables and may not know what items are accepted.
Staff acknowledged the risk and proposed using more secure, labeled 'big box' receptacles with different drop points for trash and recycling. Mr. Garland and other staff suggested the pilot would run "for a couple of months" to test contamination rates, collection logistics and aesthetics before any broader implementation.
Committee members asked staff to obtain pictures of proposed bin styles and report back. A resident-supplied set of images will be forwarded to Director Garland for review. No formal vote was taken; the committee agreed to continue the discussion after staff follows up with LRS on bin designs, pilot logistics and cost estimates.
Clarifying details: staff described the pilot locations (city hall and the train station), estimated cart cost at $35 each per week, a contamination penalty of about $25 per incident (charged to the city if loads are contaminated), and an initial pilot length of a couple of months. Staff noted downtown currently has about 30–50 street garbage cans but lacks blue recycling carts on sidewalks.
Next steps: staff will work with LRS to refine the pilot plan, provide images and specifications for more secure receptacles, and return to the committee with recommendations; no timetable for the follow-up was set in the transcript.
