City approves changes to trash, recycling hauler
New provider to take over routes starting Jan. 1
Starting with the new year, nearly 5,000 Mount Pleasant residences will have a new trash hauler.
The City Commission on Monday approved a change to the city trash collection ordinance that tosses out the current bag/tag system in favor of automated, curb-side pickup. The five-year contract with Lansing-based Granger Waste Services narrowly survived a 4-3 vote, following a lively public hearing that saw more than a half-dozen residents raising red flags about environmental impact, price, accessibly and safety.
“This community prides itself on environmental efforts,” resident Norma Bailey told the commission during the public portion of the hearing. “A lot of us really value the bag and tag because we’re trying to be very conscientious in this community of doing environmental work.”
Under the current system, residents living in single family homes, duplexes and triplexes pay for trash collection on an as-needed basis. They do so by buying either approved trash bags or city tags, and putting the tagged trash out for collection on designated days each week.
The city attaches a recycling fee to every residential water bill, and blue recycling bins are available for those who wish to participate.
That works just fine for resident Martha Smith, who said her careful separation of recycling from refuse means she needs very little in terms of trash service.
“I use probably one green bag every three or four weeks,” she said. “I put out my (recycling) bin probably every other week. Both I put out when they are full and I can lift them.”
She worried that under the new contract, the size of the refuse cans would be unwieldly for older and infirmed residents, and that people like her who make less use of the trash would be unfairly punished by fixed costs.
Under the new contract, residents will have the option to choose between a 96-gallon trash bin (large enough to hold four to five full bags and 200 pounds, according to city documentation) and a 65-gallon cart that can hold two to three bags and about 200 pounds. They will also receive one 96-gallon recycling cart.
Granger will provide weekly pickup of trash and biweekly recycling collection all year; and weekly yard waste collection between April and November, under the contract.
The cost to residents will start at $8.78 per month for the smaller trash carts and $9.76 per month for the larger bins. Recycling bins will run $3.16 per month and yard waste bags $9.39 per month.
The contract assures a 3 percent rate increase per year for each of its five years, to be billed monthly. Trash will be taken to landfills in Lansing or Grand Ledge, while recycling will be dropped at the Mount Pleasant Recycling Center on East River Road, provided it has space.
Those details didn’t set well with residents, who worried that the large cans would be difficult for some people to maneuver and that the cost would be prohibitive for people on fixed incomes, among others.
“I do not see any incentives,” Gisela Moffit warned the board. “If you cannot make some incentives to recycle, people will throw everything in the large bins, as it is cheaper and takes a lot less time. All that will be dumped in landfills, and that will not only wipe out all our efforts to mitigate climate pollution, but it will increase … methane leaks from the landfills.”
Mayor Amy Perschbacher aimed to alleviate one of the major concerns.
“My understanding is that whenever there is a program where recycling and refuse services have been brought together and there’s no opt-out of the recycling program, recycling actually increases,” Perschbacher said.
Public Works Director Jason Moore agreed, noting that recycling currently accounts for about 18 to 19 percent of waste hauling, by volume.
“Our percentages are not great as they stand,” he said.
“It’s not the best we can do, and this program might actually increase it,” Perschbacher said.
Commissioner Bryan Chapman said one of the top complaints he has heard has been about the bag/tag system. He noted the currently contracted trash hauler has missed pickup days multiple times this year.
“That was one of the concerns too, what if we’re getting sub-par service?” he said. “In mind, I’ve gotten more complaints about (the current hauler).
“It makes sense to me.”
For those who worried about the size of the bins or the possibility of underutilization, Commissioner Liz Busch offered a suggestion.
“ther is nothing stopping people from sharing a trash bin within a neighborhood,” she said. “Perhaps saving even more money, and recycling, and getting to know their neighbors and helping each other out.”
In a roll-call vote, the board split on the contract. Perschbacher, Chapman, Busch and Vice Mayor Mary Alsager cast yes ballots, while Commissioners Boomer Wingard, Maureen Eke and Grace Rollins voted no.
Scott Truman, Granger sales and marketing director, told the attendees that with 4,903 homes, Mount Pleasant will be the largest community the company has onboarded. And while it will be up to residents to set up service, either online or via telephone, he said the company has a plan in place to make the transition as easy as possible.
“We will do individual mailers to every resident. We will work with the city and their communication channels. We will create educational videos,” he said. “We aim to give the City of Mount Pleasant and its residents the best experience we can.”
