Grand Rapids trash collection proposal draws criticism from residents

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A proposal for Grand Rapids to become the city’s sole trash hauler has drawn opposition from homeowners who currently use private trash companies.

The city’s proposed single-hauler program would mean that residents would no longer be able to use private companies for trash collection.

City staff are currently just exploring the idea, with the intention of bringing it to the city commission for a potential vote next month.

Officials held a forum to gather input from residents on the idea Thursday, Sept. 18, at GRPS University, 1400 Fuller Ave. NE.

Around 40 residents attended the event, including less than a dozen who said they currently utilize private trash haulers.

Grand Rapids resident Suzette Burney, who lives on the city’s southeast side, said she switched to a private hauler, Arrowaste Inc., over a decade ago due to poor customer service from the city’s trash haulers.

Burney said she feels residents should have a right to choose who they pay for refuse collection. She was one of several attendees who expressed similar concerns on Thursday about the government having a “monopoly” on trash services.

“Are you going to tell me I have to shop at Meijer and I can’t shop at Walmart anymore?” she told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. “This is supposed to be America. We’re supposed to be able to choose what we want to do.”

Grand Rapids began considering the single-hauler idea last year, after two studies conducted on the city’s rates and operations recommended the city become the sole provider for residential refuse collection.

City officials say consolidating trash services would reduce the number of heavy trucks on neighborhood streets, lower environmental impacts, and offer a more cost-effective option for residents.

The city currently serves between 80% and 90% of the residential market, with around 52,500 residential customers and 35 commercial customers. That leaves around 6,500 residential customers who use other refuse providers.

Other services offered by the city include recycling collection, which serves around 56,000 customers, as well as collecting bulk items, illegal dumping and dead animal cleanup.

Michelle and Scott Haaksma, who live on the city’s northwest side, questioned why the city needed to make the change if it already serves the vast majority of the city’s residential population.

The couple noted that residents have already shared concerns about the quality of the city’s current services, and asked why the city would want to take on “more work” if it “can’t handle” its current workload.

“If they have 80-90% (of residents) already, why do they want to change it?” Michelle Haaksm said.

The city is in the final stages of its engagement efforts on the single hauler proposal, said Andrea Riley Mukavetz, the city’s engagement manager.

A survey conducted by the city on the single-hauler proposal had over 2,300 respondents, with about a 50/50 split between those who were for and against the proposal.

The plan is for city staff to analyze that feedback and come back to the Grand Rapids City Commission in October with a recommendation whether to move forward with the single hauler program.

If the city were to opt into the single hauler program, it would be at least two years before it would go into effect to give time to private hauling companies to plan for the loss of business. The city would also need time to buy more vehicles and restructure its routes.

John Gorney, the city’s public works director, said the city would need to buy four trucks and 12,000 new trash carts if it were to move to a single hauler program. The return on investment is expected about three years after implementation.

There are currently 13 licensed private trash haulers operating in Grand Rapids, city spokesperson Steve Guitar previously said. At least five private haulers offer curbside collection.

The city adopted its current “Pay As You Throw” collection system in 2010, replacing the city’s former bag and tag system.

The city’s trash system offers residents three refuse cart options, and residents can pay for their services as they go, placing their cart on the curb when they want their trash collected.

Each collection has a different cost depending on the resident’s refuse cart size – a 32-gallon cart costs $3.63 per collection, a 64-gallon costs $6.05, and a 96-gallon costs $8.47.

Current customers would not see their rates change as a result of the single hauler program.

Burney said she currently pays $92 quarterly for her private refuse services. If she were to move to the city’s services and used a 64-gallon cart on a weekly basis, the cost would be around $78 per quarter. But for her, it’s not about cost – it’s about customer service.

“I’ve gotten to be friends with my trashman,” she said. “I bought his kids Christmas gifts.”

Gorney acknowledged the city’s refuse system needs to be improved. He said regardless of the outcome of the single hauler proposal, the city is working to improve the quality of its services.

“We know we have some customer service issues we need to address,” he said. “We are looking at the private haulers and the services they provide… We want to make sure that we can provide a like or better service.”