Everything You Need to Know About Wheaton's New High-Tech Garbage Program

WHEATON, IL - Starting on Monday, Oct. 1, Lakeshore Recycling Systems will become Wheaton’s new provider for garbage, yard waste and recycling collection.

The day your garbage is collected will stay the same but Wheaton residents will now use a new city-issued garbage cart, which is either 35-, 65- or 95-gallon, and the same blue recycling cart that you already use, according to the city of Wheaton.

The city of Wheaton has shared the following important updates to help keep residents in the know regarding the news garbage service provider.

Garbage Cart Registration

Registration to select which size garbage cart you would like to use is now closed. If you did not select a size, Lakeshore Recycling Systems will deliver a 35-gallon garbage cart to your home. If you would like to exchange it at no cost for a 65-gallon or 95-gallon cart, call 773-685-8811 before Nov. 30.

Garbage Cart Delivery

Lakeshore Recycling Systems will deliver your garbage cart between Sept. 19 and Oct. 1. You should begin using the garbage cart the week of Oct. 3, but do not use the new cart before Oct. 3. Advanced Disposal will not pick up garbage placed in the new garbage carts, so continue to use your garbage can/bags through the end of September.

Sticker Refunds

You can receive a refund for excess Advanced Disposal stickers or exchange them for Lakeshore Recycling Systems stickers Sept. 19 through Oct. 14 at the Finance counter of city hall.

This will be available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 7 p.m.

You can exchange Advanced Disposal stickers for Lakeshore Recycling Services stickers Sept. 19-Oct. 14 at the following retailers:

• Carlson True Value Hardware: 125 E. Front St.
• Jewel Food Stores: Danada Square West, Wheaton; 2031 N. Main St., Wheaton; and 599 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn
• Mariano’s, 625 S. Main St., Wheaton
• Ultra Foods: 501 S. County Farm Road
• Walgreens: 1601 N. Main St.; 2020 S. Naperville Road

Garbage Sticker Grace Period

You will no longer need to purchase garbage stickers for your normal trash, according to the city of Wheaton news release.

The new program will use Lakeshore Recycling Systems stickers only for extra garbage (in excess of what will fit in your cart), yard waste, organics (food scraps), leaves, bulk items, white goods and E-waste.

From Oct. 3-14, Lakeshore Recycling Systems will offer a two-week grace period in which you can use up your Advanced Disposal stickers – but you can only use them for excess garbage, yard waste, organics, leaves, bulk items, white goods and E-waste.

City officials are reminding residents that they must use the correct number of stickers required by the new program (see below) during this grace period for the different types of items, regardless if they are Advanced Disposal stickers or Lakeshore stickers.

For example, an extra bag of garbage requires one sticker, and bulk items require five stickers in the new program.

Recycling Carts

You will continue to use the same blue recycling cart. In the next couple weeks, please leave your recycling cart out at the curb throughout the day, as Lakeshore Recycling Services will be placing a sticker on the carts about what can/can't be recycled in the new program and attaching an identification tag needed for the new program.

Recycling Cart Exchange

Lakeshore Recycling Systems will offer an opportunity to exchange your 65-gallon recycling cart for either a 35-gallon or 95-gallon recycling cart after garbage carts are delivered. You can call Lakeshore Recycling Services after Oct. 1 to request a different size recycling cart

New Program Information

Garbage Cart Information

Wheaton residents will use the new garbage cart alongside the city-issued recycling cart they already have. Lakeshore Recycling Systems will use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags attached to your garbage and recycling carts to wirelessly “scan” the cart and then charge you a fee per pickup based on the size of your carts, according to city officials.

You can keep your current garbage containers for home storage, or if you do not want them, Lakeshore Recycling Systems will recycle them on your regular collection day. Clearly label the container/garbage can “please take” in order to have it recycled.

If you move, the recycling and garbage carts must stay with the house.

Garbage/Recycling Pickup Costs

The weekly collection of garbage, recycling and yard waste/leaves/organics will be less expensive for most households, according to city officials.

While Wheaton’s current program included the cost of recycling in the garbage sticker price, the new program separates out the price for each service. Pricing will be as follows:
Garbage:

• 35-gallon cart: $1.43 per pickup
• 65-gallon cart: $2.86 per pickup
• 95-gallon cart: $4.29 per pickup

Recycling:

• 35-gallon cart: $1.17 per pickup
• *65-gallon cart: $1.17 per pickup (*This is the standard recycling cart you already use)
• 95-gallon cart: $1.12 per pickup

Cost Comparison

For comparison, the current program’s garbage stickers cost $3.62 per bag/container (maximum 33 gallon size), which includes the price of recycling collection.

A resident who currently sets out one 33-gallon garbage can or one garbage bag per week and the standard 65-gallon recycling cart will pay $2.60 per week with the new program ($1.43 for 35-gallon garbage cart pick-up + $1.17 for recycling), compared to $3.62 with the current program.

Food Scraps/Organics

A new option with the city’s garbage and recycling program will be the ability to recycle food scraps. Yard waste and organic material (food scraps) are collected at the curb from the first full week of April through the second full week in December.

Each container or biodegradable bag can be a maximum of 35 gallons in size and 50 pounds in weight and must have one yard waste/organics/garbage sticker attached in order to be collected.

Below, we've listed items that can be included with your yard waste/organics collection.

Foods

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Meat
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Shellfish
• Bones
• Rice
• Beans
• Pasta
• Bread
• Baked goods
• Grains
• Cheese
• Eggshells

Plants

• Floral trimmings
• Tree trimmings
• Leaves
• Grass
• Brush
• Weeds

Other Compostable Items:

• Waxed cardboard
• Napkins
• Paper towels
• Paper plates
• Pizza boxes
• Food-contaminated paper (Ex: Fast-food paper bags)
• Paper milk cartons
• Tea bags
• Coffee grounds/filters
• Wooden crates
• Sawdust

Do NOT include: grease, cooking oil, stickers on produce, any sort of plastic, Styrofoam, bottles, cans, aluminum foil, liquids, hazardous waste, cleaning supplies, rags, wooden tools, diapers or pet litter.

If you have questions about what you can or can’t include with your yard waste, contact Lakeshore Recycling Systems at 773-685-8811.

Stickers for Yard Waste/Organics/Excess Garbage/Large Items/E-Waste

In the new program, stickers will only be used for yard waste/organics, excess garbage outside of the cart and bulk items, according to the city of Wheaton.

Stickers can be purchased at the same retail outlets as they currently are at $2.75 per sticker.

• One (1) excess bag of garbage: 1 sticker = $2.75
• Carpeting: 2 stickers = $5.50
• Bulk Item (mattress, toilet): 5 stickers = $13.75
• White Good (refrigerator, water heater): 10 stickers = $27.50
• E-Waste single item:1 sticker = $2.75
• E-Waste bundle (within brown paper bag): 5 stickers =$13.75
• E-Waste TV or computer monitor: 10 stickers = $27.50

Larger Garbage Items:

• Bulk items are items that are too large to fit into your plastic cart. Each bulk item requires 5 garbage/organic stickers attached to it.
• Carpet rolls must be no longer than 4 feet in length and 18 inches in diameter and require 2 garbage/organic stickers attached to each roll for collection.
• White goods, or appliances containing CFC, HCFC, PCB’s, mercury switches or other hazardous components (refrigerators, air conditions, humidifiers, etc.), require 10 garbage/organic stickers to be collected. All white goods will be collected by a separate truck at the end of the day.
• Do-it-yourself construction or demolition debris will require 5 garbage/organic stickers per stack or 35-gallon container. Stacks must weigh less than 50 pounds, be no more than 4 feet in length and up to 18 inches n diameter. 35-gallon containers cannot weigh more then50 pounds.
• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) products are flammable, toxic, corrosive or reactive, and can pose a harmful threat or damage to the environment when disposed of improperly. Items such as paint, pesticides, poisons, cleaning solvents, tainted gasoline, used oil and other automotive fluids are considered to be hazardous waste and should not be included with your regular garbage for disposal. For more information regarding disposal, visit www.dupageco.org.

Miscellaneous Cart Fees

• Additional cart rental: $3 per month
• Cart delivery/exchange/removal fee: $25 (after first 60 days)

Christmas Tree Recycling

Christmas trees will be recycled during the first two weeks after the holiday at no charge. During this free two-week collection period, make sure trees are free of all decorations and are not in plastic bags. After the two-week collection period, you will need to attach 5 garbage/organic stickers to a Christmas tree to have it collected.

Billing Information

The City will continue to utilize the Pay-As-You-Throw program, but with no stickers required for weekly garbage and recycling services.

You will initially receive your monthly bill electronically, which you can pay online or by check. You will also have the option of automatically paying via ACH transfer from a bank account that you authorize.

Lakeshore Recycling Systems is working on a pre-payment, auto-replenish billing system similar to that used for iPass by the Illinois Tollway Authority.