Confusion, complaints about Waukegans yard-waste disposal

By Dan Moran dmoran@stmedianetwork.com | @NewsSunDanMoran April 29, 2014 6:04PM

Rain-soaked bags of yard waste without the recently required required disposal stickers sit along a street north of downtown Waukegan. City officials are trying to inform residents about new procedures for disposal of items like grass clippings and brush. | Dan Moran/Sun-Times Media

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Updated: April 29, 2014 6:04PM

Walnut Street resident Marcia Schlitz says her home lost 50 percent of its assessed valuation between 2008 and 2012, and now I get to pay for my own yard waste while her property taxes have remained almost the same.

Schlitzs comments before the City Council on April 21 echoed complaints heard around Waukegan as residents adjust to a new waste-disposal contract that does not include blanket pickup of things like grass clippings or tree trimmings.

According to Schlitz, when the city made the decison late last year to save money by making yard-waste collection a per-bag service, who was going to go door-to-door to (tell) all of these people who have leaves raked to the street and bags piling and piling up on the parkways?

Each ward has at least one block with yard waste waiting to be picked up, because now (bags) need to have stickers, she said. I dont know if it was a communication issue, but not everybody gets (the newspaper), not everyone is attached to the hip with Internet and media, so someone needs to stand up to the table and say, Its our responsibility to deal with this.

Several aldermen agreed with Schlitz, including 6th Ward Ald. Larry TenPas, who said that even after information campaigns including letters sent home with Waukegan Public School students some residents still do not know that the city doesnt pick up yard waste.

Once you give people a service, its difficult to take it away, and the education process has not been very good so far, TenPas said. Ive got bags sitting all over my ward waiting to be picked up. ... Ive got leaves all over the curb, but its hard to tell if theyre from this year or last (fall).

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Confusion, complaints about Waukegans yard-waste disposal