Every other East Lansing resident in the same housing situation would have to purchase them by October. Landlords would be responsible for purchasing easy carts for their tenants.

Easy carts are plastic containers that can be lifted into garbage trucks using a mechanical arm.

People who don’t use easy carts would still be able to use yellow garbage bags from the city, but they wouldn’t be allowed to use any other trash containers.

Easy carts cost $35-$60, depending on size, while yellow bags cost $1 each.

There’s no doubt that some East Lansing residents will complain about being forced to purchase these exotic garbage containers if the council decides to pass the proposal.

They may assume the city is nickel-and-diming them and accuse the city of abusing its governmental power. Those accusations, however, couldn’t be further from the truth.

Implementing this new system would help everyone in the community. Residents will save money because in the long haul, paying a one-time fee of $60 is cheaper than buying 100 yellow bags for $100.

College students: Imagine what you could do with $40.

This system would also be cheaper — and safer — for the city. In the past, garbage collectors have injured themselves after lifting heavy trash containers or slipping on icy streets.

When this happens, the city has to pay those workers a “significant amount” of workers’ compensation, said Todd Sneathen, East Lansing’s director of public works.

Furthermore, the new system would reduce pollution in the city because the easy carts would prevent animals from accessing trash and spreading it around.

Sure, some residents have justifiable complaints about easy carts.

In discussions that people have had with city officials, some residents have vented that they wouldn’t have anywhere to store the containers, and others with physical disabilities have claimed they would have trouble wheeling them out. But this system wouldn’t hurt any of those people because they reserve the option to use the yellow bags instead.

Nothing the city proposes will ever draw unanimous support — that’s just the nature of public policy. But this proposal wouldn’t hurt anybody — even the people who absolutely loathe these carts.

When the City Council votes on easy carts in the coming weeks, it should consider the thousands of people this system would accommodate more emphatically than the few it would inconvenience. And while it might seem like a hassle, should city officials approve the proposed system change, community members could benefit greatly from the easy cart system.

If city officials decide to pass this proposal, their decision will be, well, easy.