Local governments should move forward to establish a solid waste authority.
That’s the word from Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), an Ann Arbor-based firm retained earlier this year to evaluate and report on alternatives for current residential garbage hauling and recycling practices in seven North Oakland communities.
Advocates of establishing such an authority have repeatedly touted the benefits, such as less wear and tear on roads, more environmentally friendly trash hauling practices, better prices for consumers and the potential for cutting edge conversion technology.
Whether these benefits actually exist depends on who’s answering the question, but study results also focus on other possible outcomes: potential revenue for participating municipalities, for example.
On Aug. 27, representatives from RRS, along with local government officials, will hold an informational public meeting, beginning at 6 p.m., at Clarkston Junior High School to present study findings and respond to questions and concerns from the public.
‘There won’t be any decision-making,? said Springfield Township Supervisor Mike Trout, noting the meeting would be taped and aired later on local cable stations. ‘I think it’s important for (Springfield) to be involved, but there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered.?
In order to answer those questions, RRS is recommending interested communities sign on for a second phase aimed at continuing the study.
‘If there’s some possibility for revenue, that’s definitely something we need to look at,? Trout said. ‘That’s why we’ve been so interested in this; because we’ve heard there’s a possibility some kind of revenue to the townships could result.?
Trout said he wasn’t sure how those revenues would be realized, but noted it was important to remain involved in the study until involvement no longer made sense for Springfield Township.
‘I’m just trying to get the information out there in a way that doesn’t make it controversial at all our board meetings,? he said. ‘There’s a lot of missing information. What may be important to us as far as technology and replacing the landfills has somehow turned into a discussion about who picks up your garbage. It’s not so much who does it, sometimes, as much as how it’s done.?
Although the first phase of the study didn’t cost the participating townships anything, it wasn’t ‘free.?
According to Larry Doyle, administrative director for the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, the county paid RRS $75,000 to conduct phase one, which involved Independence and Springfield townships, as well as Brandon, Groveland, Waterford, West Bloomfield and White Lake.
A second phase would require participating communities to kick in funds for continued involvement.
‘The second phase needs to be approved by the boards, and I’m looking forward to getting that approval,? said Independence Township Supervisor Dave Wagner.
Wagner said he was eager to move forward, even though he’s heard from quite a few residents who have ‘misconceptions? about the potential for a new waste hauling plan.
Many of the concerns he’s heard, Wagner said, are from residents worried about the fate of Smith’s Disposal, a Springfield Township based company that serves a large portion of the Clarkston area and supports numerous charitable community events.
‘Everyone is worried about their garbage man going away,? Wagner said. ‘No one’s trying to run Smith’s out; we’re not trying to get rid of them.?
Wagner said he was ‘mostly interested in the green aspect of the plan, noting he ‘didn’t want to get into? a discussion about the possibility for municipal revenue until the idea had been explored more fully.
Still, he admitted, the potential was inviting.
‘We’re all looking for revenue, which would come from what the (conversion plant) produces,? he said. ‘There’s a potential, for us, for an additional $1.5 million per year. In these times, that helps out immensely.