Is Unincorporated Downers Grove Township Ready for a Single Waste Hauler?

On any given weekday, waste haulers from eight different companies can be seen lumbering through unincorporated Downers Grove Township making their daily pickups.

Voters will have a chance to decide Tuesday if the township’s unincorporated areas are ready for a single waste hauler.

Township officials want to take residents’ temperature on the issue, which would affect approximately 5,000 to 7,000 residents. Voters will be asked to vote yes or no on an advisory referendum when casting their ballots on Tuesday:

“Shall Downers Grove Township be authorized to contract, administer or license a refuse collection, disposal and recycling program on behalf of the residents of the unincorporated areas of the Township, pursuant to Section 85-13(f) and Article 210 of the Township Code?”

Downers Grove Township trustees unanimously approved putting the referendum question on the Nov. 4 ballot during their board meeting in July, according to meeting minutes.

At this point in time, no one knows what form such a service would take, its cost, or whether it would include an “opt out” for residents to instead purchase stickers as opposed to unlimited refuse collection.

Residents in the unincorporated township areas, such as Liberty Park or Timberwood, who support the idea believe they will get a more competitive rate by having a single waste hauler, as well as saving wear and tear on the roads.

Opponents say they are happy with the services they currently receive from private companies. They claim there are too many unanswered questions of how the township would manage a single waste hauler contract or its costs.

Town Supervisor Frank Wurster said he’s heard from many residents in the unincorporated areas for the township to do something about the number of waste haulers who charge different prices and come at different times.

Wurster said the township is not mandating, but rather asking residents to help the board decide whether it should explore refuse collection services for unincorporated neighborhoods.

If voters decide not to move forward, then the township won’t do anything.

In a letter to The Doings, a Burr Ridge resident warned voters that such a service “may wreak havoc on customary waste disposal practices.”

“The people who lobbied for it have probably done their best to line up all the votes they can gather to get it passed, which could suddenly present the uninformed silent majority of residents with monopolistic waste disposal dictates imposed upon them by the lobbyists.”

Responded another commenter:

“Wow! Can you say hyperbole? While this may be an important issue for some, it is hardly Obamacare.”

Downers Grove Township serves some or all of the following communities, including Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, Westmont, Willow Springs, Willowbrook and Woodridge.