Does Dexter Township Want a Single Hauler Trash Service?

In thinking about using a single hauler for curbside trash/recycling services; Dexter Township is keeping in mind its residents’ needs and wants, and what’s best for the community.

Dexter Township recently held a public hearing about its single hauler proposal. No decisions have been made and it’s still in the exploration phase. However, the township is serious about this and wants to know what residents think.

The Sun Times News connected with Dexter Township Supervisor Lonnie Scott to ask about the public hearing and single hauler proposal. As part of the hearing, township trustee Karen Nolte prepared a presentation about the topic.

In that presentation, the results of a March 2024 web based survey were given that took in people’s responses about having a single hauler for curbside trash services. There were 445 responses to the survey with 79.6 percent saying they would opt-in while 20.4 said they would opt-out.

Scott said the single hauler public hearing went well. He estimated there were about 30 people in attendance and the township was able to answer questions, hear directly from residents, and get an update from the committee of folks, lead by Trustee Nolte, who have been working on the issue.

The proposal for Single Hauler in Dexter Township would require there be only one trash company operating in the township. The services could include trash, recycling and yard/food waste.

The goals of this proposal, according to Nolte’s presentation, include: lowering costs to residents; providing better services to residents; reduced congestion and other transportation improvements; lowering road maintenance costs; environmental quality; extending landfill life in Washtenaw County and Michigan; improving the appearance of roadways and recreational parks and increasing public safety.

“While no decision has been made yet, the public feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with many residents eager to reduce the number of trash trucks on our roads and to see their trash bills reduced,” Scott said. “This has been a very thorough process and I am thankful for Trustee Nolte’s leadership on it.”

Like those cited in the presentation, Scott said there are many reasons the township is looking at this option including cost savings for residents, protecting the township’s significant road investments and providing better services to residents.

Scott said he believes this project falls into several of the pillars of the township strategic plan. He said he thinks residents would be shocked to learn that a single trash truck has the same impact on a road as 1,000 passenger vehicles. With an estimated seven trash companies currently operating in Dexter Township and many operating both trash and recycling, there could be as many as 14 trash trucks per day on some of the township roads.

To get an idea of costs, the township has sought bids for this service, which are public, and as Scott said if you look at the bid information you’ll see why the township believes there are several bidders that would be lower than what township residents are currently paying for service.

Residents would be able to choose any service they would like: curbside trash, curbside recycling, or curbside yard waste pick up – or any combination of those three – they could also choose to completely opt out of having any curbside service.

Scott said what they would not be allowed to do is contract with a different company if the township pursues this route.

The township said next steps are continued public engagement and the township board will consider moving forward at its July meeting. After that if they decide to proceed and a contract is finalized the township would do some education work with the residents as each resident would create their own account, none of it would be handled internally at the township.

There will be additional options for public comment including a coffee chat at 6 p.m. on July 10 at the Township Hall.