OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Should you have a choice as to which company you pay to collect your garbage?
Some people in Spring Lake Township say you should, and are upset that that choice has been taken away.
Carrie Uthe, who lives in the township, spoke with 13 ON YOUR SIDE on Spring Lake Charter Townships decision to approve their three year contract with Republic Services as their main waste hauler.
"We did not want a single waste hauler contract, we would like to have a choice," said Uthe.
The township responded during a Monday night meeting on why they went with a one-hauler.
"The idea that someone should be able to pick out whatever kind of service they want, even if it costs more, or they have a brother-in-law that does it or they get to chose whatever, that is exactly the type of situation we're trying to avoid, having 9 or 10 waste-haulers running through the streets of the township."
Uthe, who collected over 400 signatures around the township against the decision, argued with that response.
"We're not saying we want nine waste haulers in the community, I believe the most I've ever seen was three," said Uthe.
Township Supervisor John Nash says before the townships deal was made last year, Republic bought out a previous waste hauler that served Spring Lake Township.
"At that point, republic owned at least 75 percent of our residents, so how does the board negotiate with somebody that already has all of their clients, I mean you can't really do that," said Nash.
The General Manager of a West Michigan company, Arrow Waste, says they lost around 150 clients through the townships deal.
Russ Boersma's company and others are not allowed to work in the area because of the deal, which he calls disappointing.
"We had to cancel all of our customers in the area, we had to pick up all of our containers, we had to leave the area, this is one of the areas that is on the edge of our service area so I'm not sure if we'll come back in three years or not," said Boersma.
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