Frequently Asked Questions

A franchise is an exclusive contract awarded to a private company to provide service. In this case, the franchise will apply to garbage and recycling services for all commercial accounts in the Village. The Village of Deerfield has the authority to issue a franchise by state statute and is utilizing this ability to provide “economies of scale” in pricing for businesses.

The franchise began on May 1, 2015. In accordance with state statute (65 ILCS 5/19 - 11 - 1) the Village and the service provider exercised a 15 month waiting period between the award of the franchise and the start of the franchise service.

The contractor is Lakeshore Recycling Systems, Inc. and the term of the franchise is 5 years (2015 - 2020).

All businesses are included in the franchise with the exception of home-based businesses, which are currently included in the Village’s residential franchise. The Village has incorporated an exemption process into its municipal code that allows businesses to be exempted due to specialized service needs the franchise hauler is unable to provide or if the business is part of a national contract for waste management services.

The franchise includes garbage and recycling services as well as an organic material (food scrap) collection option. All businesses receive a 4 cubic yard recycling container serviced once a week, at no charge.

The rates for residential garbage and recycling services are not affected by the commercial garbage and recycling franchise. The current residential rates are with Waste Management and are covered under an existing residential franchise agreement.

The Village receives no fees or revenue from the commercial franchise. Lakeshore has agreed to recycling education with measurable goals throughout the contract. Lakeshore will distribute educational brochures to the community and plans to dedicate time to providing community outreach that will educate local schools on the benefits of recycling and sustainability. Additionally, Lakeshore has agreed to service downtown recycling containers and offer 1 free residential paper shredding event per year, at no charge.