City Council Approves Deal to Have Waste Management Collect School Recyclables

Expect to see a lot of green and yellow recycling carts parked outside Saline Area Schools. The district recently learned that it had lost the recycling service for the School Recycling Program.

The city, the school district, county and Waste Management arranged a deal to have the schools serviced by Waste Management - the company that provides recycling services for the city.

According to  Saline's Department of Public Works Director Larry Sirls, the program will cost $8,500 annually and that cost to the city will be fully reimbursed.

"It's just a pass through. There's no additional cost to our residents," Sirls said.

City Manager Colleen O'Toole said the parties quickly found a satisfactory solution.

"I'm happy that we could find a quick solution to this. The school's vendor has pulled so they're hoping for an expeditious turnaround on our approval," O'Toole said.

Answering questions from several council members, Sirls said this arrangement will not impair the city's to change services at the end of its deal with Waste Management.

The school district is paying a flat fee for the service based on how many recycling carts are expected to be used at each school. The city pays based on the weight of the recycling trucks. Since Waste Management wasn't planning to use separate trucks to service the school recyclables, Dillon seemed concerned the city might be catching part of the cost of servicing the schools.

The motion to pass the memorandum of understanding between the city and Washtenaw County was moved by Councillor Jim Dell'Orco and seconded by Councillor Kevin Camero-Sulak. The motion carried by a 6-0 vote. Councillor Jack Ceo was absent.

Washtenaw County will reimburse the city for the single-stream cart recycling collection.

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