VILLA PARK : Trash Collection Rates Are Going Up

Trash-collection rates will go up slightly in the city beginning Oct. 1.

The City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a proposed list of monthly increases for trash collection. The increases vary, according to number of containers used and whether the customer is residential or commercial.

City Manager Fred Maley said the new rates affect only residential customers’ brown, or general garbage, containers. “There is still no charge for the green containers, which are used for recyclables,” Maley said.

The cost for one residential brown container on Oct. 1 goes from the current $13.45 a month to $13.70. If a resident uses a second brown container, the additional cost per month is $1--a 20-cent increase over the current fee. For a third brown container, the additional cost is $3.85 a month, an increase of 10 cents.

Commercial rates were increased about 3.5%, with the cost varying according to number of daily collections. For instance, the fee for once-a-week collection of a three-cubic-yard bin will be increased from the current $85 a month to $88. The higher fee includes the cost of recycling the commercial haul.

The City Council approved the increased rates following negotiations with the city’s trash hauler, Taormina Industries.

Maley said Taormina bills city customers directly on a quarterly basis. The city is not involved in the billing process, the city manager said.

Mayor Barry L. Denes said Villa Park residents generally are pleased with Taormina. “The service we get is terrific,” he said. “I’ve only had one complaint (from a city resident) in a year.”

Councilman John Frackelton, who assisted Denes in negotiating with Taormina, said he thinks the new rates are equitable. “We feel this is a fair increase at this point and time,” Frackelton said.