Dive Summary:

• The city of Detroit is considering privatizing collections to save $15 million per year.
• The 2011 solid waste report from the city shows that $32.3 million was spent on collection, $1.6 for recycling pick-up and disposal at a waste-to-energy plant cost $16 million.
• As the city prepares to accept bids from waste removal companies, it will continue its collection services for residents including trash removal, with a small portion receiving recycling services.

From the article:

"Detroit might be the largest city to ponder completely handing collections over to a private company after public workers collected trash for a number of years."

"...when a city outsources collection, a number of factors often lead to a lower cost, including lower employee costs, route optimization and perhaps private companies have their own landfills nearby..."

"Detroit is currently under the control of an emergency financial manager who has the ability to break contracts and enter new ones."