Dumping Still Happens At Darien Collection Site

DARIEN, IL – Darien Alderman Eric Gustafson on Monday again pointed out the dumping at a charity's donation collection site and the neighboring wetland.

American Veterans, or AmVets, collects donations in a lot northwest of Darien's Walmart on 75th Street.

For years, Gustafson has been talking about dumping at the site. The other day, he saw a bunch of partially filled cans of paint, which the nonprofit group doesn't accept.

At a 2021 City Council meeting, Gustafson noted people would leave their grass clippings at the site. But that problem largely disappeared a couple of years ago when Darien struck a deal with a garbage company to collect unlimited yard waste.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Gustafson, who lives close to the site and goes by there a few times a week, said the wetland next to the collection site also has become a dumping group.

This week, AmVets filled six large bags of waste from the wetland, Gustafson said. That included a phone with a driver's license attached, a long knife and someone's debit card. AmVets called Gustafson, who alerted police.

"It's not a dumping ground. That's not what it's intended for," Gustafson said. "If you have a question mark about whether (AmVets) will take it, then go there during regular hours" when an attendant is working.

"Don't just sneak in at night and just dump your garbage because you may find me in the bushes waiting over there for you," Gustafson said half-jokingly. "That's how adamant I am. It's ridiculous that they have to put up with this."

In an interview Tuesday, Tom Foley, the site's manager, thanked Gustafson and other city officials for their help. The Darien site, he said, has been more of a problem than other collection sites because it is among the busiest.

"Under the cover of darkness, people will drop off stuff like an old sofa," Foley said. "There's no hanky-panky when we're there. The city is doing a tremendous job supporting us."

Darien Alderman Eric Gustafson saw a bunch of partially filled paint cans this week at the AmVets collection site near Walmart. AmVets doesn't accept such items. (Courtesy of Eric Gustafson)