GFL drops 73 area contracts

By David Fleet
The Citizen Editor
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
On Monday night the Lake Orion Township Board of Trustees voted 7-0 consenting to the agreement transfer of the solid waste, recycling, and yard waste collection from Green for Life Environmental (GFL) to Priority Waste.
On June 4, 2024 Ontario-based GFL, the current waste hauler for the township, announced they had sold 73 municipal contracts to Clinton Township based-Priority Waste. The deal is complete July 1.
Lake Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett said they met with representatives from both GFL and Priority Waste last week to discuss the transition. Key in the deliberations was the guarantee of the GFL contract made about four years ago. Part of that deal required township approval if a change in the contract was to occur.
“They (GFL) are getting out of the residential waste hauling business in Southeastern Michigan,” said Barnett. “I spoke with the CEO of Priority Waste and we have assurances that our contract is in place, every detail, (including) pricing, liquidated damages, bulk pickup, everything we negotiated (with GFL) four years ago.”
The current GFL contract which had been in negotiations, was to expire Dec. 31, 2024.
A letter will be sent out to residents from the township with details, he added.
“Our residents are protected,” he said. “We don’t have a choice, GFL is going away. We can say no to this, but it does not make any sense for us to do this. I feel confident after meeting with the leadership at Priority Waste that we are in good hands.”
Similarly, on June 11, the Oxford Village Council voted during a council meeting unanimously to authorize Village Manager Joe Madore to sign the village’s residential trash haul pickup from GFL to Priority Waste. Council President Kelsey Cooke was absent.
While GFL is selling their route to Priority Waste, Madore said that the village’s contract with GFL is still in place.
There is an assignment clause in this contract allowing the village to move the contract to Priority Waste. Everything in the contract, including rates, will remain the same when it is picked up by Priority Waste, according to Madore.