By outsourcing the curbside pickup of residents’ leaves to a private firm, Lincolnshire public works crews now should have more time to address wintertime projects they usually struggle to start, according to village officials.
Village board members approved Monday a five-year extension of their expiring contract with Waste Management for residential waste removal and added into the new agreement the company’s leaf pickup service for an extra $90,000 annually.
The current, baseline expenses for public works to do the service in-house cost about $41,000 more and totals around $131,000 a year, village officials have said.
Since the 1970s, Lincolnshire public works employees have spent up to 11 hours a day collecting residents’ bags of raked leaves in the fall, leading to large overtime costs, according to Brad Woodbury, public works director in Lincolnshire.
The move to outsource the service likely will save the department $335,000 in overtime costs over 10 years, Woodbury said. With extra funds and freed manpower, the department can tackle more projects meant to prepare the village for the long winters in the Chicago area, he said.
Waste Management has worked as the residential waste hauler in Lincolnshire since 1996. A company spokeswoman said they are pleased to continue working with Lincolnshire.
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“We are pleased to provide the additional curbside leaf vacuum service to the Village of Lincolnshire,” said spokeswoman Lisa Dunbrow. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with the village and its residents for many years to come.”
Of the 1,707 single-family homes in Lincolnshire, about 1,200 of them used the leaf pickup service that was handled by public works, Village Manager Brad Burke has said.
Before approving the contract extension with Waste Management, village board members declined an additional service from Waste Management that would have charged residents an extra, small fee.
The board was considering an option that would have allowed any interested residents to schedule a pick-up time with Waste Management to have the company dispose of electronics and chemicals in their homes.
But the service would have come with an extra monthly charge of $1.15 for all customers, even ones not interested in using it.
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