KINGSFORD — Proposals from two waste disposal services for garbage collection will be reviewed by the Kingsford Planning Commission, which is expected to make a recommendation on whether the city should switch to a private firm or retain its own equipment and crew.

GFL Environmental Inc., which has operations across Canada and the U.S., proposes a per residence cost of $12.75 a month for one garbage can with $1.50 extra for an additional can. This would include a monthly recycling pickup. Without recycling, the cost would be $8.80 per month.

Waste Management, which also operates across North America, proposes a pickup cost including recycling at $16 a month for one can and $5 extra for an additional can. Without recycling, the cost would be $11.70.

According to City Manager Mike Stelmaszek, residents currently pay $13 a month for garbage pickup without recycling and the cost is not subsidized by the city. The fee pays for two full-time employees and their benefits to pick up the garbage, the tipping fees or disposal costs, two garbage trucks, fuel and maintenance, and administrative costs for billing.

The city decided to request bids to see if it would be less expensive to have a private company pick up garbage. They will be losing people in the public works department and the city’s equipment is aging.

The bids from the private firms did not include tipping fees, which would average about $5.25 a month per residence. Both bids would add a cost of living adjustment, which Stelmaszek indicated is an increase that could be charged in the last five years of a seven-year contract that would be based on an agreed upon inflation index. Both would also add a fuel surcharge if the cost of fuel increases to more than $4 a gallon.

Mark Miller of Kingsford spoke at Monday’s city council meeting opposing the privatizing the city’s garbage pickup. He would rather have the city pick up garbage for safety of the citizens, for better accountability and as a way to be loyal to local. For example he cited the fact that the cable company has no local office and in order to return equipment you have to go to Escanaba.