Starting with the new year, nearly 5,000 Mount Pleasant residences will have a new trash hauler.聽The City Commission 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.
鈥淭his community prides itself on environmental efforts,鈥� resident Norma Bailey told the commission during the public portion of the hearing. 鈥淎 lot of us really value the bag and tag because we鈥檙e trying to be very conscientious in this community of doing environmental work.鈥�
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.聽The city attaches a recycling fee to every residential water bill, and blue recycling bins are available for those who wish to participate.