Would Naperville Residents Be Willing to Pay for Recycling Carts?

This week, Naperville City Council approved a recycling program that would offer residents new, rolling recycling carts.

The new recycling program would extend the city's contract with hauler Resource Management and lock in pricing until 2021. Residents would have the option to choose from a 32-, 65- or 95-gallon cart, which would have a lid and also be much larger than the current recycling bins.


A recent survey conducted by the city showed that 64 percent of citizens want a recycling cart program. Naperville residents currently recycle less than 30 percent of their household trash, but the city hopes to increase that number to 40 percent by implementing the new program. 

The carts are estimated to cost between $50 and $55 per cart and the total cost of the program would be roughly $2.3 million.

But exactly how those carts will be paid for hasn't been decided, yet. 

Public Works Director Dick Dublinski and City Council discussed the idea of charging residents who use the carts $4 per month for one year to pay for the program. Only residents who choose to use the recycling carts would be charged, but the idea of issuing a $4 fee was tabled by council until a bid is awarded for carts.

So, Patch posed the following question to our loyal Facebook fans: 

Would you be willing to pay $4 per month for 1 year to have either a 65 or 95 gallon recycling cart with a lid? (Naperville residents currently recycle less than 30% of their household trash.)

Here are some of the responses: 

Yes! I'm tired of picking up all the recycling that has blown around our neighborhood. And, the current blue bins are too small. - Kristen

Yes!! I always have three random bins out there and desperately need something big and enclosed. - Rachna 

Not willing to "rent", willing to buy outright. - Alex

$4 a month for one year is very expensive. We bought our own recycle container..We got it at Menards, or Home Depot for under $20 and it is on wheels and has a lid..the size of a large garbage can. I got recycle stickers for it, and it has worked well for us for at least 3 years now. We have no blowing recycling, and it all fits nicely in the large rollling garbage can. - Paula 

Great idea. Recycling blows all over the neighborhood. - Karen

No because long after the cost of the cart was paid for, I'd still be charged $4 per month, which then makes it a tax. The current bins work for some. Let others buy a cart. - Lisa

this is wrong. all the trash folks need to do is put a recycling logo on the standard wheeled container. thats all. no need to special order containers. this does not encourage recycling. - Sue

Ever since my bins have been stolen, I have been used cardboard boxes which seem to work just fine. - Robert  

When I lived on Oswego we had the same size recycle container as our trash. My recycle was always more full than the trash. I also compost. - C.J. 

No , we recycle a lot but I do not agree with paying extra to recycle. The larger bins means the workers prolly wont need to lift the containers too, which is good. - Bridget 

Yes because I'd love to have a huge lidded cart like the garbage ones. Right now I use 2-3 small ones every week. We recycle anything that can be. But I'd also rather pay a one time fee like we did with the garbage carts. - Renee 

I'd be more willing to just buy my recycling cart like I did for my garbage cart. Paying $4 per month so WM can make money off of my recyclables seems odd. - Lucy

No, why pay extra when we already have recycling containers? - Michael

Are they going to be picking up weekly or bi-weekly? Westmont changed to the big carts last year and we went from weekly to bi-weekly pick up. I could fill the 96 gallon recycling cart weekly if they'd actually pick it up every week. - Katie

We should have the option to buy just like the garbage cans. We fill our container plus multiple bags every week. - Christina 

No. I already have bins. I don't want to pay for a new one. I didn't pay for the new garbage cans either. - Linda

NO.... We pay enough in taxes!! - Lisa 

So $48 - if it would really make a difference I would agree. But I don't see how this would improve the percentage of people who would recycle. - Michele 

Absolutely! I'm so sick of carrying 4 bins to the curb. - Colleen 

It is cheaper to buy a garbage can at the store and label it recycling. - Jamie

I've been dying for a large container! We moved here from Joliet and was shocked Joliet had them and Naperville didn't. - Beth