Dive Brief:

• Detroit City Council has approved privatizing the city's waste collection. Bulk trash and twice a month recycling pickup is expected to begin in the spring.
• The office of Kevyn Orr, Detroit's emergency manager, has already approved the contract. The state's emergency manager law also gave the city council the ability to weigh-in on agreements that transfer the responsibilities of city government or city-owned assets. 
• The deal doesn't save the city money, but it does expand upon services for residents. Household trash bills should not increase. 

Dive Insight:

The agreement is the largest privatization of city services in Detroit's history. 165 municipal workers currently collect Detroit's trash. The two private waste and recycling haulers, Advanced Disposal and Rizzo Environmental Services, will hire 132 employees, while 30-35 workers will be transitioned to positions focused on illegal dumping.