City of Ann Arbor makes special arrangements for student 'Move Out Week'

By Pete Cunningham Sports Director

Posted on Sun, Apr 22, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.

The city will provide dumpster service for students during "Move Out Week" from April 24-May 5.

Nearly every day will look like trash day around campus at the University of Michigan this week. As students move on and move out, the city of Ann Arbor is doing its part to make sure the transition is as smooth -- and clean -- as possible.

In addition to normal Wednesday pickup, there will be trash and recycle pickup days around campus on Friday, April 27; Monday, April 30; and Friday, May 4, so expect to see bins around campus more often than usual.

For the loads that can’t quite fit in the bins, the city is providing students free Dumpster service at East University and Oakland avenues during “Move Out Week,” which is actually a 12-day period from Tuesday, April 24, through Saturday, May 5. During that span, students can drop off extra trash, old furniture and curbside recycling free of charge at the Dumpster from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The city budgets between $32,000 and $37,000 for the program every year and expects to collect between 100 and 200 tons of refuse, said Tom McMurtrie, environmental systems analyst for the city of Ann Arbor, who is in charge of the program.

Staying within that budget is dependent on only students using the service.

“There have been instances where the site has gotten to be overflowing, too much for the site to handle, and illegal dumping on off-hours,” McMurtrie said.

Anyone caught using the Dumpster overnight would be subject to illegal dumping fines, which is $200 for a first offense, $400 for a second offense and $1,000 every offense thereafter.

The collection site won’t just be taking trash. There will be a drop-off for clothing, non-perishable food, toiletries, as well as furniture and electronic appliances in good condition. The Salvation Army, which will be collecting items for six of the 12 days at the site during move out week, typically collects enough items to fill four to six, 30-foot-long moving trucks.

Students hoping a local scavenger finds value in old furniture they leave by the side of the road run the risk of a $100 fine. McMurtrie said such fines are rare.

"The way the ordinance is written, they can’t be immediately fined and have 24 hours to respond,” McMurtrie said. “Most respond to the notifications. We certainly encourage them to use the services provided.”

Contact Pete Cunningham at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.