Buffalo Grove plans to continue 'At Your Door' recycling service

Buffalo Grove officials plan to extend the "At Your Door" recycling service that allows residents to call the village's waste hauler for front-door pickup of electronics, paint, cleaning supplies and other hazardous or difficult-to-dispose-of items.

The service, which costs residents $1.40 a month, was rolled out after the village board approved an extension to its contract with Waste Management in 2019.

Buffalo Grove has the option to cancel the program anytime after April 30, but village staff members recommended the program continue; village trustees did not object at a committee meeting this week.

Deputy Village Manager Christopher Stilling told the board that since the start of the program, nearly 4,500 households have used the service. Approximately 330,000 pounds of material has been collected, of which 91% was sent for recycling, he added.

The majority of items collected were lead batteries, computers, TVs and latex paint, Stilling said.

Through December, the village received 703 comment cards indicating strong support for the program.

"We typically don't have that large of a response," Stilling said. "Other than maybe two or three that were the outliers, everybody wanted to keep this program."

Trustees Eric Smith and Joanne Johnson said they would like to see the program receive more visibility.

"I frequently encounter residents who have no idea that we have this program," Johnson said.

Stilling said the cost of the program has remained the same since it began in 2019.

"I'm all in favor of continuing this program, especially for that bargain rate," Johnson said.