New WM Trash Totes Do Not Fit

At Monday night’s Village Board Meeting, several residents from various Buffalo Grove subdivisions expressed their opposition to the new 64 gallon trash totes that Waste Management had said were the smallest available.  Other communities, such as Wheeling and Mount Prospect, offer their residents the option of a 35 gallon tote.

The 64 gallon totes are simply too large for the one-car garages that many of us have.  The 2 ft. wide tote just does not fit in the garage with both a car and a re-cycle tote nor on a narrow driveway, which we cannot do anyway because of condominium association rules.  It was suggested to put the totes on the side or around in back of the building, but that’s not reasonable when the building is a half block long.

Further, these 64 gallon totes are not a reasonable level of service for those of us in one or two person households, often senior citizens.  We typically have only one or two grocery store shopping bags of refuse per week.  The 64 gal. totes, largely empty, are not even weighted down sufficiently to keep from blowing over in high wind, which we have already experienced.  Just wait till winter!

Because of the outcry, Waste Management has recently offered Buffalo Grove a 35 gallon option, but for a nuisance fee of $2 per month, which will not even be simple to do because condo associations normally contract with and pay Waste Management, not the unit residents. Plus, that’s almost $100 dollars over the four-year term of Waste Management’s contract.  Really?  Just to rent a garbage can?

That also begs the question, why do we have to pay to for the 35 gallon reduced level of service while switching to the much larger 96 gallon tote is free?  Wheeling and Mount Prospect don’t have such a fee.

Our village says the goal is to re-cycle more and reduce trash but Waste Management seems to be encouraging the opposite, more trash!  Some residents have already decided to stop using their re-cycle tote and simply place everything in the trash tote.  We already have two re-cycle totes out on the curb in our neighborhood with the Waste Management “TAKE” sticker attached.  Some residents have gone even further and said they intend to put everything in their smaller, 35 gallon, re-cycle tote and let Waste Management sort it all out.

If we must deal with the totes, even for our one or two bags, we want the 35 gallon option at a maximum.  And we want it on the same basis as the 64 gallon and 96 gallon totes, without an additional fee.

Ed Muldoon
Spoerlein Farms Condominiums