Portage voters said "no" to a proposal that would have changed the city's single-hauler trash system in Kalamazoo County's May 5 special election.
The ordinance amendment would have prevented the city of Portage from appointing an exclusive trash hauler and barring residents from choosing their own trash service. It would have also required trash haulers to register with the city and make their fee schedules available.
As of 11 p.m. Tuesday night, with 11 of 11 precincts reporting, unofficial results showed "no" votes winning out with over 55% of the vote.
The city of Portage switched to a single-hauler trash system in 2025 and awarded its contract to Waste Management for exclusive trash collection in the city. Previously, Portage had allowed multiple haulers.
The proposal to amend the ordinance was led "Take Back the Trash", a group of Portage citizens, with support from hauler Best Way Disposal.
