Trash Flying In Darien? Not So Much, Officials Say

DARIEN, IL – For months, city officials have been touting the benefits of switching garbage companies.

At Monday's City Council meeting, officials focused on what they considered another positive – a cleaner town.

Before, many residents' garbage was in tubs and other types of containers. In some cases, trash was barely contained, so in windy weather, it would fly around, officials said.

"On a windy day, the debris is unbelievable," Alderman Mary Sullivan said. "It's strictly people's garbage out of their cans or their recycle bins. So I'm hopeful there will be less litter because of the quality of the cans and everything being covered."

Alderman Eric Gustafson said residents have less incentive to dump their lawn clippings and other trash around town, including along Manning Road.

He was referring to the fees that every resident must pay. Before, residents could choose the sticker option, only paying when they had garbage. In some instances, people chose to dump their trash elsewhere to avoid any costs.

Last Friday was the first day of the city's contract with Morton Grove-based LRS. For years, the city had been with Houston-based Waste Management.

Katie Neary of LRS told the City Council the company experienced a "hiccup" with the delay in the delivery of rollout carts for a few hundred seniors.

Because of that problem, LRS said it would cover the costs of two city electronic waste events this year, which the city estimated would cost $19,000.

Neary said the company did not have one missed garbage pickup on Friday. She credited that, in part, to the fact that some of Waste Management's drivers are now with LRS.

"It's not been perfect, but overall, I think it's gone very well," Neary said.

City officials said they were glad the city changed companies.