New citywide refuse and recycling collection service for Adrian residents begins July 6

ADRIAN — Residents in the city of Adrian will be switching over to totes for curbside trash and recycling pickup with the first collection taking place next week.

Adrian’s new citywide refuse and recycling collection contract with Stevens Disposal and Recycling Services officially goes into effect July 6. It is delayed one day from Adrian’s regular Tuesday trash service because of Monday being the observance of the Independence Day holiday. Totes for both trash and recycling are being delivered to all residents in the city, Adrian officials said in a news release. Only trash will be picked up next week, the city said. Residents on the north side of Maumee Street, however, will also have recycling collected July 6 along with their trash. 

More:City of Adrian recycling guidelines

In April, the Adrian City Commission approved a new contract with Stevens included a yearly cost increase for customers but also the addition of two 95-gallon totes — one for trash and one for recycling. 

Trash is collected weekly, while recycling is collected bi-weekly.

With the new contract,n residents can opt out of recycling and Stevens will collect those totes. Residents, however, will still be charged the recycling fee.

Those who wish to not recycle may contact Adrian City Hall or engineering services by calling 517-264-4829.

Residents who are over the age of 70 or have a medical note can also have their trash tote collected by calling city hall. As with the recycling service, those who do not use the trash totes will still be charged the same rate.

“Opting out of the totes does not decrease the annual cost,” the city said in the release.

Stevens, which is headquartered in Petersburg, can be contacted at www.stevensdisposal.com or by calling 800-779-0344. Information about recycling can also be found there.

When placing accepted items into the recycling bins/totes, Stevens asks that containers be rinsed or cleaned before being put into the tote. 

Paper, metal and plastic objects are accepted as recycled items, Stevens said. Accepted paper products include cardboard and paper bags; junk mail such as envelopes, flyers, postcards, etc.; paperboard; newspapers; all types of magazines and catalogs; all types and sizes of office paper; and all types and sizes of phone books.

Steel, tin and aluminum cans are among the accepted metal items. All cans must be emptied before recycling. Kitchen cookware, such as metal pots, pans and utensils are also accepted.

Empty glass items are accepted as are empty household plastics and plastic jugs and bottles.

Unaccepted recycling items include:

• Wax-coated items such as paper milk or juice cartons.
• Styrofoam containers and packaging materials.
• Garbage.
• Compost food waste.
• Propane tanks.
• Paint cans.
• Medical waste such as syringes and needles.
• Batteries.
• Flammable liquids.
• Household cleaners.
• Dry or liquid chemicals.
• Wood items.
• Concrete.
• Garden hoses or rubber items.
• Electrical cords.
• Tires.
• Plastic grocery/retail bags. 

Adrian’s new contract with Stevens is for five years, and it comes with the option for a two-year extension. Residents will now be charged an annual rate of $240, which will be added as a line item to the summer tax bills “in order to save time and money,” the commission’s April 18 resolution of approval said.

Adrian residents have been paying for a limit of six bags per week and limited yard waste collection along with the option to recycle. The cost for these services had been $30 per residence per quarter — $120 annually — with recyclers paying an additional fee of $31.80 annually.

Adrian residents have not seen an increase in their trash bills in seven years. 

If the commission chose to not take any action on the garbage hauling services in April, at minimum, Adrian’s current contract with Stevens Disposal was projected to have increased to $171 annually, which would have been a $51 increase from the current charge, not including the recycling fee.