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HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Harrison Township residents hoping to see the end of waste hauler shuffles after the past year’s collection chaos may be disappointed in the new year.
As the Harrison Township Board of Trustees settled its final items of business for 2024 at the Dec. 16 meeting, discussion at the end turned to securing a proposal outline for soliciting new waste hauler contracts.
“Our current waste hauler contract is set to expire May 1, 2025,” Township Supervisor Ken Verkest said. “The current contract began in May of 2015. It was originally a five-year contract with a five-year extension. During the COVID pandemic, this board did agree in early 2020 to extend the contract from 2020 to 2025. I am recommending that we solicit bids for our waste hauling services.”
Harrison Township currently contracts with Priority Waste for residential trash collection. Shake-ups in the trash collection industry caused changes throughout the life of the current contact, originally made with Rizzo Environmental Services, which was later acquired by GFL Environmental in 2016. Priority Waste bought out GFL’s contracts throughout southeastern Michigan in 2024. The nature of how the contract has been prolonged for a decade has kept the cost per home at $13.54 per month, which Verkest expects to rise up to the $18 to $22 per month range when factoring in increased services and inflation over the total life of the contract.
Trustees discussed which services would be included in the township’s proposal to potential contractors, going over what to provide and the ultimate fate of the township’s wood chipping services. Rizzo offered curbside chipping at no additional cost in 2015, and the contract item has been honored by the subsequent haulers, but Verkest was bullish on getting the same deal this time around.
“I haven’t seen the new contracts (in other communities) coming in with chipping services,” Verkest said. “You can pay for anything you want, but that might be one (service) we may not be able to continue to offer.”
Township Treasurer Lawrence Tomenello was no more enthusiastic about the chipping service’s outlook under a future contract based on its current lack of utilization.
“That’s one of those services that very few people use, and it’s only once a month anyway,” Tomenello said. “Even then, very few residents use it.”
Trustees were enthusiastic about the future of recycling services in the township, with rolling bins with lids being the preferred recycling container for the future. Adding educational materials about how to properly recycle to the proposal was brought up by Tomenello.
Trustee David Bratto recommended changes regarding the waste hauler hardship program, such as waiving the cost of trash collection for residents 90 and older. Verkest believed anyone vying for the contract would participate in the hardship program, but it is the Waste Hauler Hardship Board’s authority to decide the terms of when relief can be provided.
“I don’t think there’s anybody bidding on a multimillion five-year contract saying, ‘We won’t give you $10,000 a year,’” Verkest said.
Trustees approved a motion authorizing Verkest, Wit and Tomenello to work with the township attorney to create a request for quotation proposal and to solicit bids for a five-year contract. Companies expected to be in the running include Priority Waste, Tringali Sanitation and Waste Management.
2025 budget approval
Trustees unanimously approved the 2025 budget. As approved, the budget calls for $32.9 million in appropriations with $32.5 million in revenues, expecting a loss of about $400,800.
A public hearing held prior to the vote saw no comments from the public.
