(Chelsea Update would like to thank Shawn Personke for the information in this story.)
Did you know the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority, aka the WWRA, and the City of Chelsea Solid Waste Department are two separate entities?
It’s true.
The city collects trash from city residents and operates the Solid Waste Transfer Station on Werkner Road. City workers pick up the orange bags of trash from residents’ curbs on Tuesdays. The City of Chelsea refuse services are offered to city residents as one of the benefits of living within the city.
The WWRA handles recyclables, such as paper, plastic, cardboard, and glass.
The WWRA collects recyclables in two ways. One, City of Chelsea residents can put the WWRA’s green recycle cart out on their street curb on Wednesday or Thursday mornings, depending where you reside. Two, city residents, as well as residents of Lyndon, Lima, Dexter, and Manchester Townships, may take their recyclables to any of the Drop Off Bin Sites located throughout the municipalities that make up the WWRA.
The WWRA is comprised of five local communities working cooperatively to implement residential recycling programs in the Townships of Dexter, Lyndon, Manchester and Lima, and the City of Chelsea.
Each of those municipalities has a representative that is a member of the WWRA board.
“Some residents may not realize that the WWRA and the city are separate,” said Tony Iannelli, Chelsea’s representative to the WWRA board of directors.
“There is a connection, as the city is one of the municipalities that worked together to create the WWRA, but they are indeed separate organizations providing two different public services and are funded separately.”
One reason people are might be confused is that both entities have a physical presence at the Werkner Road facility.
However, what each organization does at that site is completely separate. The city transfers the refuse generated by City of Chelsea residents and businesses to other operating landfills.
The WWRA brings all of the recyclables collected to the site, sorts and packages the materials, and then sells the material to various vendors.
If you would like to find out more about either entity, check out the websites at: www.wwrarecycles.org or www.city-chelsea.org.
Residents of Chelsea Retirement Community were privileged to have a tour of the Wekner Recycling Center last week. Everyone was impressed with the processes involved and coordination between governmental units that are required to result in the “good” that comes to our community as a result. We were grateful and impressed. And they keep improving and refining a process that benefits so many. Kudos!