City Council Talks Trash

For years, residents have complained about unsightly bulk trash left at curbsides, often for weeks at a time. Mayor Duggan has proposed a plan to address this problem by increasing bulk trash collection to every week at the cost of an additional $12 million per year. He says there are three options on the table: raise the solid waste fee from $240 to $300 per year, reallocate funds from other parts of the general fund, or leave things the way they are. Some members of City Council and some administration officials have expressed concerns about the effect of more frequent bulk trash collection on the city’s financial stability.

If passed, the new collection system would expand the area serviced to include side streets and vacant lots. Construction debris would also be picked up for the first time.

Currently the vote is scheduled to take place sometime this month, so now is the time to express your opinion on this issue to our Councilmember Latisha Johnson. Do you want to leave the schedule the way it is? If not, are you willing to pay more for weekly pickups? Or would you rather take money from somewhere else in the budget to pay for it? If so, what are you willing to cut back?

You can reach Councilmember Johnson at councilmemberjohnson@detroitmi.gov or (313) 224-4841. For more details about the discussion, check out the Bridge Detroit article here.

In the meantime, here are your next three bulk trash and recycling pickup dates:

• Friday, January 19 – Bulk trash/recycling collection delayed one day due to MLK Day

• Thursday, February 1

• Thursday, February 15