If you noticed overflowing trash bins throughout downtown Traverse City last weekend, you weren’t the only one. The issue was bad enough that the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the City of Traverse City, and trash collection company GFL spent the first few days of the week figuring out a new plan for the rest of the summer. The fresh approach will involve increasing the frequency of trash pickups downtown and adding new receptacles in busy areas, on top of other new strategies the DDA had already put in place for the season.

Though the summer solstice didn’t come until last Sunday, summer tourism certainly appeared in full effect on Saturday, when downtown trash cans were already overflowing by 4:00 in the afternoon. “Really? This is the amazing Traverse City everyone brags about?” one user asked in the Overheard in Traverse City Facebook group, sharing a collection of photos that showed trash receptacles piled high with empty fountain drink cups and Moomers ice cream containers. The post garnered 370 reactions and more than 600 comments. 

“We’re certainly aware of the issue, and it’s not a good look for us,” admits DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder. “We actually went down to try to clear off some of the mounds that were there Saturday evening, and then again early Sunday morning.”

Burkholder isn’t sure whether last weekend’s problems were the result of a missed trash pickup on Saturday or simply the product of higher-than-average tourist traffic in the downtown corridor. While the DDA pays for trash services downtown, the City of Traverse City is the entity that holds the service contract with GFL. “So, they’re the ones who would have more information about services not rendered, or anything like that,” he adds.

In any case, Burkholder says the issues prompted immediate conversations between the DDA, the city, and GFL about how to rectify downtown’s trash problem – both immediately and for the rest of what promises to be a busy summer.

“GFL did come later in the morning on Sunday [to empty the downtown bins], and since then, the city parks department has contacted GFL leadership about getting additional trash receptacles at key locations for the rest of the summer, and expanding the frequency of service,” Burkholder shares.

Parks and Recreation Director Michelle Hunt tells The Ticker that GFL already “empties the garbage seven days a week during the summer” at all of the bins downtown. “In response to the heavy usage, we are increasing pickups to twice daily on Saturdays and Sundays,” she says.

Burkholder estimates there were already “close to 90” bins in the downtown area, and Hunt says GFL “will place extra totes in high-traffic areas” this summer to avoid future overflows. The new bins can be found in Lot B near the pedestrian bridge, on East Front Street in front of The Little Fleet, in the 100 block of Front Street in front of Kilwins, and in the 200 block of Front Street “near the mid-block pedestrian crossing and near U&I.”

“We hope these extra measures will combat the issues and ensure a cleaner downtown for everyone,” Hunt says.

The DDA had already ramped up efforts toward downtown beautification in recent years, most notably with an ambassador program called the “Clean and Green Team.” Launched in 2022 as a partnership with Child and Family Services of Northwest Michigan and its YouthWorks program, the Clean and Green Team assists the DDA in downtown cleanup and maintenance, including picking up litter, attending to overfull trash bins, removing graffiti, and more. Last year, the DDA pivoted that partnership from YouthWorks to SEEDS and its EcoCorps program, but the basic concept remained the same. This year, the DDA also added another partnership to the mix, with a company called Bin Ninjas.

“Bin Ninjas is more of a cleaning service, versus a trash removal service; they’re who we call when we need to take out the receptacle itself and clean it, so it doesn’t look like it’s got sticky gum and ice cream on it,” Burkholder explains. “But we do have a contract with SEEDS – they help us with Clean and Green for the entire summer – and we are in conversation with them about ways that we might be able to address [the trash overflow issue] if it comes up again. That might be something as simple as just shifting hours; SEEDS has provided flexible hours in the past, so that might be something we could call upon for the summer.”

While Burkholder is hopeful the trash issue won’t recur, given GFL’s expanded downtown service, he’s quick to point out where the money for downtown trash removal comes from: the DDA’s TIF (tax increment financing) plans, one of which currently hangs in the balance pending a referendum vote this November.

“I think, when an important service is not rendered, that’s when it’s eye-opening and important to reiterate just how important TIF is, in terms of paying for basic services within downtown,” Burkholder says. “[Downtown trash pickup] is something that tool is designed for, and when it doesn't happen, you can see the repercussions.”