The Village of Lindenhurst, with the assistance of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO), is seeking information on the solid waste management practices and costs of its local businesses. In February, the Village mailed out surveys to local businesses on their waste and recycling habits. The answers to the survey will provide the necessary information for the Village to evaluate the potential benefits of establishing a village-wide commercial sector waste franchise, comparable to the residential franchise the Village has established.
Please note that the Village is in the fact-finding stage and has not made nor will it make any final decision regarding a commercial franchise without the input of our local businesses. We will not proceed forward with a commercial franchise unless it can be demonstrated that costs will be lowered, and the current level of service will be maintained or enhanced.
State law authorizes municipalities to establish franchises for the collection of both residential and commercial waste. Residential franchises are quite common and typically provide residents with better pricing and service (requirements are typically contained in contracts enforced by the municipality) than residents can obtain individually. The same holds true for commercial franchises. To date, approximately 32 municipalities in the Chicago Metro area have established commercial franchises and their track record is impressive regarding the savings to local businesses. The primary benefits of commercial franchising include:
- Lower rates in the eight municipalities in Lake County that have commercial franchises (Highland Park, Highwood, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Bluff, and Libertyville), on average, 90% of the businesses experienced a rate reduction. Two municipalities, Volo and Round Lake Beach, recently approved commercial franchises but are still waiting for them to be implemented.
- Stabilized price increases through long-term contract provisions that limit annual escalators (fuel and environmental surcharges have been eliminated).
- Reduction in greenhouse gases, and road wear and tear due to increased efficiency of routing/collecting commercial waste.
- Increased recycling opportunities, each of the eight Lake County commercial franchises includes recycling service (ranging from a 96-gallon cart to a 4 cubic yard container serviced once a week) at no extra cost as the cost is included in the refuse/garbage rate. This has led to some towns having over 70% of their businesses recycling.
