General Fund Appropriation: Some Michigan counties allocate general fund dollars to cover their county-wide recycling programs. No action is needed by local units or voters.

Landfill Surcharge: Michigan counties that have a landfill within their jurisdiction can enact an ordinance that establishes solid waste and recycling programs and imposes a tipping fee Surcharge (e.g. $3/ton) on all solid waste coming to the landfill. The operator must collect the surcharge and pay it to the County for use in the established solid waste and recycling programs. No action is needed by local units or voters.

Disposal Facility Surcharge: Michigan counties that have their own solid waste disposal facilities can establish rates for using those facilities that include the costs of running a recycling program. No action is needed by local units unless local unit support is needed to commit waste to the facility.

ACTION BY COUNTY BOARD AND LOCAL UNITS OF GOVERNMENT

Act 185 Public Works Assessment: Michigan counties can create a board and department of public works (DPW) and then work with some or all of the local units to establish a solid waste and recycling project. The engineers estimate for the project is then used to establish an assessment roll for parcels within the jurisdiction of the local units that have approved an agreement with the county. The County then collects the assessment as a program availability user fee and manages the solid waste and recycling program. Action is needed by the County and the Local Unit but no action is needed by voters. Property owners can appeal the assessment.

Public Act 69 of 2005: PA 69 of 2005 allows counties to work with some or all of their local units to establish a recycling, composting and/or household hazardous waste project. The County can collect up to $25/year from households in the local units that have approved an agreement with the county. Further, subject to the approval of local voters, the county may collect up to $4 per month or $50 per year. Commercial businesses could be subject to the surcharge, with voter approval. To hold an election on the increased surcharge, the county board of commissioners must pass a resolution that includes the following: (1) the approval to hold the election; (2) the name of the individual responsible for negotiating the interlocal agreement; (3) the date by which each local city, village, or township within the county must elect to participate in the interlocal agreement and authorize an election; (4) the date of the election; (5) the amount of the proposed surcharge; and (6) whether commercial businesses will be subject to the proposed surcharge. The initial authorization for the additional surcharge is for a period of five years. Subsequent authorizations are for at least 10 years. The surcharge approved by voters would not apply to vacant land, land owned by a public-utility, rights-of-way, and easements that do not generate solid waste.

ACTION BY COUNTY BOARD AND/OR LOCAL UNITS OF GOVERNMENT

Intergovernmental Agreement and Independent Cost Sharing: Counties and local units and/or local units working together on their own can act in unison through intergovernmental agreements to run recycling programs. Each local unit can be obligated for their fair share and then come up with their own methods of paying for that share. No action by voters is required.

Intergovernmental Agreement and Hauler Licensing: Counties and local units and/or local units working together on their own can act in unison through intergovernmental agreements and a uniform ordinance that requires private waste haulers to meet certain recycling requirements in order to do business and to include the costs for those programs in their overall solid waste service fees. No action by voters is, required.

Dedicated Millage: Incorporated Cities and Charter Townships in Michigan can charge an additional millage for solid waste and recycling services up to limits specified by statute. No action by voters is required.

Organized Collection: Any local unit of government can use contracting and ordinances to select a single hauler to provide solid waste and recycling services to all households, all businesses, or both and establish a fee collection mechanism to cover the cost for the same. Through intergovernmental agreement a third party (BPW, authority, etc.) can be assigned this responsibility by the local unit. No action by voters is required.

Operating Revenues: A program operated with public agency involvement can charge additional fees for various services that will help off-set the public sector's costs for the program. An example would be a multi-township recycling and solid waste drop-off facility that collected a per bag charge for the solid waste dropped off by citizen's and used that revenue to help offset operating costs such as staffing, building improvements, etc.

Material Sales Revenues: A program operated with public agency involvement can use the revenue from sale of recycled materials to help off-set the public sector's costs for the program. An example would be a regional recycling facility owned by a multi-county authority and operated under contract by a private firm, with the public agencies offsetting some of their costs with a share of the revenue from sale of recyclables.

VOTER APPROVED MEASURES

Voter Approved Millage: Any local unit of government and/or a County can put a vote to the people for a temporary or permanent millage to fund a solid waste or recycling program.

For more information contact:

Matt Flechter
Recycling and Composting Coordinator
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Waste and Hazardous Materials Division
Constitution Hall, Atrium North
Lansing, Michigan 48933
Phone: (517) 373-8422
Fax: (517) 373-4797
Email: flechterm@michigan.gov