April 26, 2024
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La Salle residents’ garbage bill to increase by $5.50 in February

Switch to LRS to begin Jan 30

By Olivia Doak
A Lakeshore Recycling Systems driver collects trash on Whittington Drive in Geneva on July 6 during the company's first week of service with the city.

The city of La Salle announced Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, residents’ garbage bill will increase from $14.50 to $20 a month when the city switches from Republic Services to Lakeshore Recycling Systems beginning in February. (Sandy Bressner)

The city of La Salle announced Monday residents’ garbage bill will increase from $14.50 to $20 a month when the city switches from Republic Services to Lakeshore Recycling Systems beginning in February.

La Salle’s contract with Republic Services, the city’s current provider, will expire at the end of the month. The city decided to switch to Lakeshore Recycling Systems at the end of August because of resident complaints of repeated missed pickups under Republic.

The city’s five-year contract with LRS includes a 3.5% increase in residents’ monthly bill each year. In 2023, residents pay $20, $20.70 in 2024, $21.42 in 2025, $22.17 in 2026 and $22.95 in 2027.

Finance Director John Duncan said the price increase was inevitable, whether the city decided to stay with Republic or go with LRS. This is because of the need to switch to larger, 95-gallon bins along with rising costs due to inflation.

“This is the direction the industry is going,” Duncan said on Monday.

La Salle will be the first community in the area serviced by LRS. Other nearby communities are serviced by Republic at varying price points depending on when the contract was renewed. For example, in Peru, residents pay $18 a month, Oglesby residents pay $19.76, Utica residents pay $19.08 and Mendota residents pay $17.15.

Duncan said the lower prices are because of older contracts. He expects the prices to increase when it’s time for each city’s contract to be renewed.

For more information on the switch to LRS beginning Monday, Jan 30, go to https://www.lrsrecycles.com/residential/la-salle/. Residents are also welcome to attend an informational session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan 17, at City Hall, 745 Second St.