Allan Gerlat, News Editor

December 5, 2012

1 Min Read
NSWMA Opposes Waste and Recycling Franchise Proposal in Illinois

The National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) Illinois Chapter is opposing the decision by the city of Deerfield, Ill., to pursue a commercial franchise agreement for waste and recycling.

The state chapter of the Washington-based NSWMA said in a news release that municipal franchise agreements such as what Deerfield is proposing can lead to higher costs for residents and is inefficient for serving commercial customers.

“In these tough economic times, municipal leaders should not force businesses to pay higher prices to fund another quasi-governmental organization like the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) to provide services that are already provided by the private sector," said Peggy Macenas, regional manager of the chapter.

Officials from Deerfield did not immediately return a call for comment. Deefield is a village of about 18,000 north of Chicago.

The NSWMA chapter said the waste disposal costs can vary significantly from one business to another depending on what type of waste the business generates.

Also, the biggest barrier to commercial recycling is separating the waste and recycling. The NSWMA said recycling programs tend to be more limited under franchise contracts because businesses aren’t able to customize recycling.          

About the Author(s)

Allan Gerlat

News Editor, Waste360

Allan Gerlat joined the Waste360 staff in September 2011 as news editor. He was the editor of Waste & Recycling News for the first 16 years of its history, and under his guidance the publication won 27 national and regional awards.

Before Waste & Recycling News, Allan worked at another Crain Communications publication, Rubber & Plastics News, which covers rubber product manufacturing. He began with the publication as associate editor and eventually became managing editor, a position he held for nine years.

Allan is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a BS in journalism. He is based in Sagamore Hills, in northeast Ohio.

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