Darien Trash Service Brings Domestic Peace: Resident

DARIEN, IL – Darien resident Mary O'Dowd says Darien's new trash service may be controversial for some, but not for her.

"Some residents have voiced strong opinions against the change in providers," O'Dowd said at last week's City Council meeting. "I am not one of those residents. I love the new service from LRS," a Morton Grove-based firm that started April 1.

She said her household does not generate much garbage, so the small bin is ideal.

"We get the senior discount, which is a huge savings from what we paid before," O'Dowd said. "Both the landfill tote and the recycling tote have nice, sturdy wheels, which makes taking the bins to the curb a heck of a lot easier, especially during a Chicago winter."

She then said the best part of the new service is that she and her husband no longer have to deal with yard waste stickers.

"Having lived in Darien for over 20 years, we always tried to plan ahead for garbage night, but sometimes those bags of yard waste just got the better of us," O'Dowd said. "So we'd both look at each other on those late Sunday nights and we'd play the game of 'all right, whose turn is it to drive to Jewel and buy more garbage stickers?'"

She said the improvements may seem trivial, but she said she and her husband are among those who appreciate them.

"So thank you, Darien, and thank you, LRS, for saving us money, for making our lives a bit easier and for promoting our domestic tranquility," O'Dowd said.

In response, Mayor Joseph Marchese thanked O'Dowd.

"We love hearing stories like that," he said.

Added Alderman Eric Gustafson, "We only get the negative ones."

Before LRS took over the service, Houston-based Waste Management held the contract for years.