By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Ortonville- The village will be exploring trash hauling options after getting feedback from residents. Currently, residents pay for their own trash hauling services. The village council is concerned about the amount of blight this causes, since garbage cans are out multiple days a week, and the wear and tear on the roads.
“We were able to send out 500 cards,” said councilman Pat George, who has been heading the project. “We got back 200, and there’s a couple more to count, but 200 is a good number, that’s 40 percent return.”

Residents who responded had a 52 percent approval of a single waste hauler, and 48 percent said no. Of the 48 percent no, eight percent of that vote were people that voted yes on the condition that Community Disposal was the single waste hauler.
“Had those people got their way, it would be up to 60-40, but we could not guarantee that would happen,” said George. “On the open house meeting, I thought it was a pretty good turnout. I’ll just say this, there’s a very big love affair with the citizens with community (disposal).”
George said a lot of citizens wanted their right to choose what service they used, though Community Disposal services about 60 percent of the community.
Comparatively, residents of Mundy Township pay $125 a year, and residents of Goodrich Village pay $168. The service includes trash and recycling bins on wheels. Recycling is picked up every two weeks and lawn waste is picked up in the spring and fall. Funding is via a special assessment. Residents of the Oxford Village pay about $148 a year, which includes trash and recycling hauling every week.
Part of the issue, according to Village Manager Bill Sprague, is that since residents put out their trash cans the night before they are picked up, each trash pick-up day results in two days of cans being out by the road. Since there are two days in the community, Monday and Friday for most haulers, there are cans out for four days of the week.
George and Sprague will be exploring options, including a single hauler, but also brought up the possibility of an ordinance allowing garbage pick up only one day a week. There were no decisions on the issue at the meeting. To voice any concerns, call the village offices at 248-627-4976