City Also May Issue New Trash, Recycle Containers to Residents

Dearborn’s curbside leaf pickup program is on the table as a possible budget cut, yet another proposal the city is eyeing as a way to help trim a projected $20 million budget shortfall, the city confirms to DeepsaidWhat.com

Trash bins such as the one pictured here could soon be issued to residents citywide.

Separately, Dearborn officials also are looking at implementing a new trash and recycling program that would provide each home one large container for trash and one large container for recycling. The city last year began a pilot program with these containers in one area of the city and now is looking to expand it citywide.

First the curbside leaf pickup. Regular readers of this site will know that leaf pickup is one of those hotly debated topics; with some saying it is a waste of resources and others who feel it something that needs to stay.

Curbside leaf pickup may soon be a thing of the past.

Just how much the city would save from such a move isn’t yet clear but when you consider that the vehicles and number of hours of labor needed for leaf removal would no longer be needed (not to mention fuel, vehicle maintenance and purchase of new equipment), the savings could be sizable. As most cities have already abandoned street leaf pickup, this seems like an easy decision for the city to make. As inconvenient as it might be to drag 40 leaf bags curbside, this seems like a cut most residents would understand.

While there is no final decision yet, a city spokeswoman tells us to “stay tuned, as we continue with these tough, but necessary, decisions.”

Now for the new trash and recycle containers residents could soon be receiving. Dearborn’s current waste and recycling contract with Waste Management expires on June 30. The new contract has not been awarded yet, according to the city.

“It is hoped that we will be moving citywide to a system like the one in the pilot area, with one large container for trash and one large container for recycling,” a spokeswoman for the city tells us. “The pilot area has experienced a dramatic decrease in litter with this system.”

Such a change would mean the elimination of several dozen jobs for Waste Management workers, the company Dearborn currently contracts with to pickup trash and recyclables. The new large cans are designed to be picked up by a mechanical arm operated by the driver of the trash truck, making it a one-person job.