Evanston Battles Junk Scavengers

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 3, 2009 8:20PM

We've all seen them: the guys driving trucks up and down alleys at the end and beginning of every month, collecting furniture and accessories being thrown out as people move in to and out of new apartments. But now Evanston has had enough and is doing battle with the junk scavengers. Why? Because it's costing the city money, according to the Tribune.

Homeowners are charged a pickup fee that starts at $25 and is tacked on to water bills. Last year, these collections generated $89,000, money the community wants to keep, [superintendent of streets and sanitation Suzette] Eggleston said.

Given the recent thefts and lost revenue, Evanston is studying how to regulate the scavengers, possibly through a licensing arrangement.

"We want to establish some controls over them," Eggleston said.

So far, though, they haven't figured out how to do that, especially considering many of them come from Chicago or surrounding areas. Also, managers of scrap yards who pay for what the haulers find usually work with the haulers, though they avoid accepting what they suspect to be stolen goods. Larry Williams, owner of L&W Scrap Metals, told the Trib, "We're not in business to get into problems with the law." He added, "They go around in a $50 truck and try to make a living. Sometimes they go into very rough areas of the city. Who likes doing that?"