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City staff outline plan to study single residential hauler; commissioners seek cost, equity and technology answers
Summary
Staff presented a consultant study recommending the city consider becoming the exclusive residential refuse hauler; commissioners debated costs, equity, recycling and enforcement and asked staff to continue public engagement.
City staff presented findings of a materials-management and rate study on March 25 and recommended pursuing further public engagement on a potential shift to a single (exclusive) residential refuse hauler for Grand Rapids.
John Gorny, the presentation lead, said the consultant — SCS Engineers — recommended the city consider becoming the only hauler for residential service. "The recommendation is that the city become the only hauler in the city for residential service," he said during the briefing. The study compared the city’s current open-market, pay-as-you-throw model with a single-hauler model, reviewed RFID truck technology, and examined the county’s waste-to-energy facility and regional processing options.
Staff listed four primary benefits of an exclusive-hauler model: guarantee that every property has refuse service; reduce wear and tear on streets by fewer, heavier trucks; lower greenhouse-gas emissions; and…
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