Onyx Waste Services Inc. will be moving some operations out of Evanston by the end of the month, but the garbage company also will be spending $2 million on a new facility in the city due to open next year.
Onyx, one of Evanston’s private garbage collection and transfer companies, will be moving its hauling and maintenance facilities, currently at 1712 Church St., to Northbrook, Ill. Onyx officials said the move is part of an effort to consolidate their maintenance operations.
Evanston garbage trucks will continue to operate in Evanston, said Pete Sarin, Chicago area manager for Onyx. The trucks will be maintained in Northbrook starting today, with the Evanston truck maintenance facility closing in about two weeks.
Sarin said the company has purchased a new building in Northbrook that can accommodate all of the Evanston and Northbrook trucks.
“If we can do maintenance better in one location, let’s consolidate and try to do that there,” Sarin said.
Sarin said two people lost their jobs as part of the consolidation.
The Onyx garbage transfer facility, 1711 Lyons St., will remain in Evanston, Sarin said. The company will build a new, fully enclosed transfer station once it gains state approval. Sarin said the new facility will cost $2 million and will take six to eight months to complete.
An anonymous letter received by The Daily said the move might cost the city tax revenues from motor fuel, sales and payroll taxes. The letter also warned that Onyx might plan to sell its property to another garbage company.
Sarin said the loss in tax revenue will be relatively minor and denied that Onyx would sell any of its property in Evanston. “We have no intentions of selling the facility,” he said.
Sarin also disagreed with the letter’s claim that increased use of the Evanston transfer station could add to truck traffic, smells and noise. He said the new facility should help the area.
“We involved the neighbors in our decision,” he said.
The letter was also addressed to several city officials, including Alds. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd) and Joseph Kent (5th), as well as Dick Peach, president of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.
Peach, who had not received the letter as of Thursday, said he hoped the letters’ claims that the move would be “a lose-lose situation for Evanston” were untrue.
“Onyx staying would be nice,” he said, “because they do employ a lot of residents.”
Sarin said jobs would not leave the city because of the move and that the company’s plans for the new transfer facility were “an investment in Evanston.”
The new facility will be fully enclosed, replacing the current open-air facility. Onyx will also build a new concrete wall to separate the building from residential neighbors.
The anonymous letter asked city officials to delay permits and zoning approvals to prevent the Onyx maintenance facility from moving, but Sarin said the city has supported the company.
“We’re committed to Evanston,” he said. “And we’re going to continue to be a good corporate citizen in Evanston.”
The Daily’s Andy Nelson contributed to this report.
