The city of Benton Harbor is kicking off an exciting initiative to promote community cleanliness.
Last year, the Benton Harbor City Commission created a resolution to amend the garbage, refuse, and litter ordinance.
Communications coordinator Nick Gunn tells us the amendment updates collection categories and rates while introducing a sticker system.
“City Commission decided that we should create a sticker program where you put a sticker on your trash if you have too many items,” Gunn says. “Say if everything can’t fit in that in a 95 gallon garbage can, purchase your sticker from city hall and once you purchase it, it will be placed on your extra garbage.”
To help with the project, students from Discovery Enrichment Center designed and created artwork showing their vision of “A Beautiful Benton Harbor.” This artwork will soon be transformed into stickers that residents will be able to purchase from city hall.
“Hopefully those students will be able to go home today and talk to their parents and tell them that, hey, this is what we went over at school and hopefully it will encourage the parents to learn more about recycling, learn more about the city’s garbage and litter ordinance and just be able to spread community and highlight the community all in one,” Gunn says.
Gunn says the city commission will need to approve the new garbage collection rates and billing, before officially starting the sticker program. The amended ordinance ensures the city can meet the expenses of providing waste management services while promoting community engagement in cleanliness.
