As Evanston prepares for the new waste hauling and composting services kicking in this spring, the Environment Board received an update on the transition so far and changes the city is exploring.
Every year, Evanston Solid Waste Coordinator Brian Zimmerman briefs the Environment Board on how the city handles waste hauling and its efforts to encourage recycling, composting and other waste diversion from landfills. The report is typically one of the major agenda items, and this year it took up most of the March 26 meeting.
As a result, the Green Homes pilot discussion was moved to the April 23 meeting, and the board moved quickly through several other items.
Resident feedback
One of the more notable changes is the introduction of 35-gallon carts for yard waste and compostable food scraps, available to residents year-round. Single-family homes and properties with fewer than five units will receive them automatically unless they opt out. Residents also have the option to keep using yard waste carts they already own.
Zimmerman said the goal is to get at least 75% to 80% of eligible households to participate, which would put the program on par with recycling cart adoption. Later in the meeting, he noted that some residents opt out simply because they already have yard waste service and don’t see a point in paying extra.
One issue Zimmerman said he is already seeing is that residents are worried about using bulky carts when they don’t have enough yard waste or food scraps to fill them. That concern ties into another nuance of the program: Residents will be able to change their cart selection once a year at no charge, but beyond that, an exchange fee will apply to discourage residents from “jumping in and out of the food waste program.”
“It’s makes it difficult for us,” he said
Board member Jerri Garl acknowledged she was part of that problem, noting that “we make good use of a larger green cart” during the summer but “a smaller cart would be better for us” in colder months.
Zimmerman added that, at least initially, “we are not going to be punitive.” The city will give residents a chance to try different cart sizes to find what suits them best.
Major takeaways
Zimmerman also talked about the lessons the city learned as it rolled out the changes.
For starters, he said, the city realized it had referenced the new waste hauler, Lakeshore Recycling Systems, too prominently in outreach materials, which caused unnecessary confusion about where residents should direct questions and requests.
“Branding and communication should just be from the City of Evanston,” Zimmerman said. “It makes it clear from a communication standpoint when the city is on there, and we can reference the waste hauler another way.”
Another major takeaway, he said, is that many residents are unaware of what waste hauling services they already have. While Zimmerman and the board agreed that the 311 service has been good at addressing those questions, Zimmerman said residents still have to “go through hoops,” and the city can do a better job of making that information readily available.
The report also found that many residents are unsure of their cart sizes. Zimmerman said that “over time, they get worn out because of how the carts are tipped.”
Another issue the city discovered is that townhouses and mixed-use buildings “present challenges in clearly defining services and being consistent across the city.”
What’s next
Zimmerman also outlined aspects of waste hauling the city plans to improve.
At the top of the list is determining how to best provide services for multifamily dwellings, whether condos or apartments. As part of the broader zoning code overhaul, Zimmerman said, the city is looking at ensuring that buildings have enough space to accommodate various waste hauling options and screen them from view. He noted this has been a persistent issue with older buildings.
Other priorities include reviewing waste hauling for commercial properties and conducting an inventory of 65-gallon carts to shift more residents who need larger carts toward 95-gallon carts.
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