Do you want to see changes in curbside collections? Should one hauler pick up all Milton residents’ leaves and recycling? Should the City promote composting and, if so, how? And how should the City best determine, and enforce, whether or not a hauler is properly serving customers?

Those are the types of questions that likely will be addressed in Milton’s Recycling and Solid Waste Management Plan. And citizens can play an important part in helping answer them in ways that best serve our community and environment – something they can do at one of two (identical) Public Info and Input Meetings later this month.

Both will happen in City Hall’s Council Chambers (2006 Heritage Walk) at these dates and times:

• FEBRUARY 26 from around 7:30 p.m. (after the Planning Commission concludes) to 9 p.m.
• FEBRUARY 27 from 11 a.m. to around 12:30 p.m.

Each of these sessions will begin with a presentation featuring relevant background information, highlights of citizens surveys and interviews with haulers, then a review of potential components of the Recycling and Solid Waste Management Plan (RSWMP). After that, people can ask questions as well as share insights and opinions with the project team.

These public meetings mark a key milestone in this months-long process to establish a 10-year plan to manage solid waste (household garbage) collection and disposal, further sustainability goals, and improve efficiency and consistency along these lines in Milton. You can learn more about this plan and process by clicking HERE or going to www.miltonga.gov/RSWMP.

City staff and its partners at NewGen Strategies and Solutions have been at the forefront of this multi-faceted initiative, with members of the Milton Sustainability Advisory Committee playing a critical role since their first meeting last summer. Those extensive efforts have inspired several potential recommendations and key topics worth addressing – such as those mentioned above –  which should be discussed in the Public Info and Input meetings.

Even if and when a RSWMP is finalized and approved by the City Council – something that could happen in the coming months – that alone will not change anything immediately on the ground when it comes to recycling, yard waste, garbage collections, and the like. However, as with other guiding documents, this community-driven plan will serve as a roadmap for City leaders to take into consideration when pursuing pertinent approaches, investments, and other measures.

If you cannot attend either Public Info or Input Meeting later this month but still have a question or want to share your thoughts, please email the City’s project team at solidwaste@miltonga.gov.