Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr is preparing to privatize the city’s residential trash collection in an effort to save $15 million a year and improve service to residents as the insolvent city braces for a potential bankruptcy this summer, the Free Press reports Thursday.
Matt Helms and Joe Guillen report Orr's move offers a glimpse into the enormous changes coming as Orr spearheads a two-pronged effort: negotiating deals with creditors, city workers and retirees to reduce the city’s obligations in a bid to avoid a Chapter 9 bankruptcy, while also restructuring a government that hasn’t adjusted to Detroit’s population exodus and declines in tax revenue.
The city is working on requests for proposals for private companies to pick up trash, although it wasn’t clear when it would be put out for bid. Any contract would likely include more frequent bulk pickup, which the city reduced years ago to cut costs. Detroit's current workers would be hired by the private companies, the paper said.
