Americans consume 100 billion single use plastic bags every year, but less than five percent of these bags are recycled, according to the U.S. government. (U.S. Military photo)
By Kent County
The Kent County Recycling & Education Center will no longer accept plastic shopping bags and shredded paper starting Jan. 1, 2020, the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) announced Dec. 3. Residents are encouraged to return plastic shopping bags to participating locations.
“Our goal is to get all materials that come into our facility into recycling markets,” said Dar Baas, Kent County DPW director. “Over the last several years, it has become increasingly difficult to sort bags from the other recyclables and the bags aren’t able to be recycled after they pass through a system like ours.”
Plastic bags create operational challenges at recycling sorting centers, including shutdowns from the bags tangling around machinery and bags mixing with bales of paper. Lacking a recycling market for bags from curbside recycling collection, Kent County has paid to send them to an engineered fuel facility in Indiana. This is the only recyclable item sorted by Kent County that does not go to a recycling market.
The recycling industry standard is to encourage residents to take bags back to retail shopping centers that offer a clean, dry collection system specifically for bags. If residents have clean, dry plastic bags they would like to recycle, Kent County DPW encourages people to drop off plastic bags at participating stores, such as Meijer.
“All Meijer supercenters accept clean, dry plastic bags which customers can place in receptacles at the front entrances of the store,” said Erik Petrovskis, Director of Sustainability for Meijer. “We send these bags to external partners who recycle them into high-quality manufactured goods. We also encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags or purchase reusable bags which are available in our stores.”
Additionally, the Recycling & Education Center will no longer accept shredded paper which is often too small to get detected and sorted accordingly. Kent County encourages residents to shred and dispose of only what is necessary for security purposes and recycle whole pieces of paper.
For more information about recycling plastic bags and other items, visit reimaginetrash.org/bags.
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of the Wyoming and Kentwood high school sports, community events, and government meetings. (WKTV)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
The state of State and Kent County mental health services funding, and some astounding statistics surrounding Kent County’s recycling efforts, were among the topics discussed as part of a wide-ranging inter-governmental leaders meeting Monday, Oct. 14, at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Kentwood City Hall.
State Sen. Peter MacGregor, who represents the City of Wyoming as part of his 28th Senate District and chairs the important Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, gave the group a report from Lansing on the topic of mental health funding and the state budget battles.
Darwin Baas, the director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, also reported on the good, the bad and the ugly of recycling and trash disposal in the county — and what actions are being done to lessen the amount of trash going into limited landfill space.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
The next meeting — a special on-location meeting honoring Veterans Day at the AMVETS Post 23, 98 52nd Ave. — will be Nov. 11, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org .
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the latest meeting on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., as well as on select Saturdays, on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26. For a highlight schedule of WKTV cable programs visit wktvjournal.org .
Old tires are hard to recycle, but Kent County has a free take-back this week.
By Kent County
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) Monday. Oct. 14, that community members can safely dispose up to 10 passenger tires for free at either the North Kent Recycling & Waste Center in Rockford and South Kent Recycling & Waste Center in Byron Center. Kent County residents can bring their old tires to either facility during normal business hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Oct. 15-18.
“Whole tires are notoriously difficult to get rid of because they are not accepted by trash pick-up and cannot be disposed in a landfill unless they are shredded,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works. “We encourage Kent County residents to take advantage of this opportunity to properly dispose of old tires.”
The free tire disposal is made possible by a grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Tire disposal normally costs between $4-6 per tire. All the collected tires will be sent to a facility that will process and recycle them into new products.
The free tire disposal comes at a time when the Kent County Health Department is encouraging residents to protect themselves against mosquito bites due to the recent Eastern Equine Encephali s (EEE) outbreak, a virus that can lead to seizures, coma or even death. Old tires with standing water are a potential mosquito breeding ground. As of Oct. 11, there were 10 human cases of EEE in Michigan. There have been no human cases in Kent County.
“We encourage all residents to take every precaution to protect themselves against mosquito bites,” said Adam London, Health Officer Kent County Health Department. “Removing any potential mosquito breeding ground from your property not only helps protect you and your family, but it also helps protect our community.”
For facility hours, locations and contact information, visit reimaginetrash.org.
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Supplied/Kent County)
By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
Kent County’s plan to create a Sustainable Business Park adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center took another step forward early this month when the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) received a $95,000 site readiness grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
The grant was announced by Kent County DPW and The Right Place.
The planned 250-acre Sustainable Business Park is aimed at creating a industrial center with the prime goal to convert waste into marketable goods and services.
“Kent County is committed to becoming a regional, state and national leader in reducing landfill waste by attracting companies that can convert that waste into new products, consumer goods and energy,” Dar Baas, director of the Kent County DPW. said in supplied material. “The Sustainable Business Park will have a positive economic and environmental impact for both Allegan and Kent Counties and we are thankful for support from the MEDC to begin the site planning phase of this innovative, first-of-its kind project.”
The grant is part of the MEDC’s new competitive Michigan Build Ready Sites program, the targeted grant program of the Site Readiness Improvement program, according to supplied material.
The MEDC program, according to its website, is intended to allow “Michigan to gain a competitive advantage when it comes to business attraction and expansion projects, it must assist communities or other public entities … with the development/enhancement of industrial sites to make them vetted sites and ready to compete for site selection projects. Vetted sites may be defined as a site that has appropriate planning, zoning, surveys, title work, environmental conditions, soil conditions, infrastructure is in place or preliminary engineering is completed, the property is available for sale and development and site information is ready, and up-to-date.”
The grant was secured as part of the Kent County DPW’s and The Right Place’s 3-year partnership to help support the planning and development of the Sustainable Business Park, as well as identify sources of funding for the project and building community partnerships.
Last year, the Kent County DPW board approved a master plan for the Sustainable Business Park on 250 acres of land currently used for agriculture and previously designated for landfill expansion. The grant, with a 1:1 match from Kent County, will be used to survey and develop topographic profiles for the Sustainable Business Park, as well as develop engineering and environmental reports.
“The Sustainable Business Park is a collaborative economic development project that will attract investment and create jobs while making a positive environmental impact,” Birgit M. Klohs, President and CEO, The Right Place, Inc., said in supplied material. “The site readiness grant from the MEDC will provide critical support in developing shovel-ready land, which will give the Sustainable Business Park a competitive edge in attracting businesses.”
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) provides solid waste management services to Kent County. The DPW manages facilities and programs that include the Recycling & Education Center, Waste-to-Energy Facility, North Kent Recycling & Waste Center and South Kent Recycling & Waste Center.
According to the DPW, building a Sustainable Business Park is part of the Kent County DPW’s solution to decreasing the growing amount of solid waste buried in landfills. Kent County DPW processes over 1 billion pounds of waste each year and estimates 75 percent of that waste could be reused, recycled or converted. For more information, visit reimaginetrash.org.
Kentwood’s recycling center. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) announced this week that the City of Kentwood recycling drop-off station located at the Kentwood Public Works Facility will close June 30, but the county also urged residents to explore curbside recycling options available in the city.
One of those options — specifically for apartments, condominiums or other multifamily dwellings — includes a county grant program for property owners/managers to add recycling to their trash service.
“With improved access to curbside recycling in southern Kent County over the past decade and increasing operational cost of public drop off sites, we are closing the Kentwood recycling drop-off station so that we can focus on recycling education and material processing provided at the Kent County Recycling & Education Center,” Dar Baas, Kent County DPW director, said in a Monday, April 29, statement. “We understand this change may create an inconvenience for some residents. Reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfills continues to be our top priority and we encourage residents to add curbside recycling to their trash service.”
For residents in apartments, condominiums or other multifamily dwellings impacted by the closure, Kent County also announced a grant program for property managers to include recycling for tenants. Contact Kent County DPW (recycle@kentcountymi.gov or 616-632-7920) to inquire about this program.
According to supplied material, this closure is not related to global recycling markets or China’s decision to stop importing recyclables. Kent County maintains strong outlets for sorted recyclables in the Midwest and Canada.
Kent County DPW continues to provide drop-off recycling stations at the following:
Recycling and Education Center, 977 Wealthy St. SW, Grand Rapids, which is open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., but closed holidays.
North Kent Recycling & Waste Center, 2908 Ten Mile Road, Rockford, which is open Monday-Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., but closed holidays.
The Kent County DPW operated a recycling drop-off station at Kentwood Public Works Facility at 5068 Breton Road in Kentwood under a 5-year agreement beginning in 2007, providing recycling for residents when access to curbside collection service was limited or they lived where a property manager contracts for collection services.
Kent County continued to operate the site beyond the initial agreement until it was determined that access to on-site or curbside recycling was widely available. Residents affected by the closure should contact their local waste hauler or inquire with their property manager for services and pricing.
For additional information on how and where to properly dispose of materials in Kent County, visit reimaginetrash.org .
“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn't prevent you doing well, and don't regret the things it interferes with.”
― Stephen Hawking
The City of Kentwood is offering the second annual Limb Loss Awareness 5K race on Saturday, April 27. (Supplied/City of Kenwood)
A lesson in running (and walking)
In conjunction with Limb Loss Awareness Month, the City of Kentwood is offering the second annual Limb Loss Awareness 5K race on Saturday, April 27. Open to people of all abilities, the family friendly event will continue to raise funds for Kentwood’s adaptive recreation programs. For the complete story, visit here. For a video interview with the director of the city’s adaptive recreation program, visit here.
Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll reads the proclamation at a previous year’s Arbor Day event. (WKTV)
A lesson in Mother Earth awareness
The City of Wyoming Tree Commission, “The Tree Amigos,” is partnering with Wyoming Lee High School Ecology Club in the City’s 2019 Arbor Day Ceremony set for 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 26 at the high school located at 1335 Lee St. SW. For the complete story, visit here.
Electronics, some but not all, can be recycled at local community clean-up days. (Supplied)
A (community) lesson in recycling
The City of Wyoming’s Community Cleanup Day, Saturday, April 27, is designed to encourage Wyoming residents to maintain their properties and dispose of unwanted items in a responsible manner. For the complete story, visit here. (And the City of Kentwood will do the same thing next week; see story here.)
Fun fact:
142,000 computers, trashed, daily
According to a recent report by the EPA, every day, we are to get rid of over 416,000 mobile devices and 142,000 computers either by recycling or disposing of them in landfills and incinerators. (Source)
Kentwood Public Works Department oversees the city’s recycling center. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood’s Community Clean-Up Day is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4.
Residents wanting to “spring clean” their homes and yards may bring general debris, gently used items for donation, household hazardous materials and electronic devices to the Kentwood Recycling Center, located at 5068 Breton Ave. SE.
“With warmer weather and no more snow to shovel, residents now have the time to think about cleaning and decluttering homes and property,” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley. “Kentwood’s Community Clean-Up Day offers residents a timely opportunity to dispose or recycle items that are no longer wanted or used.”
The Salvation Army will be on hand to accept gently used items for donations and the Kent County Department of Public Works will accept household hazardous waste items. Comprenew will also be present to recycle electronic waste, such as mobile telephones, computers and fax machines.
The City of Kentwood will accept yard waste, including brush, leaves and grass clippings, on Community Clean-Up Day, after which the drop-off services will remain closed until the fall.
Latex paint, mattresses and tires will not be accepted at Community Clean-Up Day. CRT screens will also not be accepted but can be dropped off directly at any Comprenew location.
Community Clean-Up Day is free and open to Kentwood residents with photo ID for proof of residency. Residents are asked to enter the drive off Breton Avenue where volunteers will check for residence and approved items for disposal.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus, we spend some time with the director of the City of Kentwood’s important and unique Adaptive Recreation Program. Then we have the video version of a podcast we produced bringing together three guests who are knowledgeable and passionate on the subject of sustainability … a word that means much more than simply recycling.
First up In Focus is the City of Kentwood’s Adaptive Recreation Program, a program with the stated goal “to help people with disabilities live meaningful, healthy and adventurous lives.” With us is the program director Katelyn Bush, who work with Kentwood’s Parks and Recreation Department organizing programs for seniors and adaptive populations.
WKTV Journal In Focus podcast on sustainability, with (from right) Kentwood City Commissioner and community advocate Emily Bridson, Janay Brower of Public Thread, Kari Bliss of Padnos Recycling and Scrap Management, and In Focus host Ken Norris. (WKTV)
Then In Focus is a special In Focus episode where three guests discuss the multifaceted topic of sustainability — from re-imagining manufacturing to reducing landfill waste to supporting a vibrant equitable workforce. Visiting our studios, each with unique perspectives on the subject, are Kentwood City Commissioner and community advocate Emily Bridson, Janay Brower of Public Thread and Kari Bliss of Padnos Recycling and Scrap Management.
For a link to the audio podcast, click here; for a link to the WKTV’s Facebook “The Whole Picture Podcasts” interview video, click here. (If you’d like to give us some feedback on our special In Focus podcast, please contact Ken Norris at ken@wktv.org.)
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Supplied/Kent County)
By Kent County
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) and The Right Place, Inc. have announced a multi-year strategic partnership for the planning and development of the Kent County Sustainable Business Park.
Under the terms of the three-year agreement, The Right Place will support the planning and development of the Kent County Sustainable Business Park through business development and infrastructure planning efforts. The Right Place will also assist the county with managing community partnerships and identifying new sources of funding for the Sustainable Business Park.
In October 2018, the Kent County Board of Public Works (BPW) approved the Sustainable Business Park Master Plan for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center. This plan was created by local and national experts and includes recommendations on how Kent County can transition from a reliance upon disposal of trash in landfills toward a sustainable materials management system where waste materials are either reused in new production processes or products, recovered, or converted into renewable energy.
Kent County DPW processes over 1 billion pounds of waste each year and estimates 75 percent of that waste could be reused, recycled, or converted. The Sustainable Business Park could generate $500 million in direct private sector capital investment and 150 jobs could be created by processing and waste sorting alone. As part of the master plan approval, BPW authorized DPW to form a business development team to implement the plan, which includes The Right Place.
“The Sustainable Business Park will significantly reduce the amount of trash going into landfills and attract investment from companies that can convert waste into usable products,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County DPW. “The Sustainable Business Park is part of our community’s vision for a Circular Economy and our partnership with The Right Place will help attract businesses, technology developers, startups and non-profits from across the country that align with the Sustainable Business Park’s goals.”
As part of DPW’s Reimagine Trash strategic vision, there is a goal to reduce Kent County-generated municipal, commercial, and industrial solid waste going to landfills by 90 percent by 2030. The development of the Kent County Sustainable Business Park is critical to reaching that goal.
“The Sustainable Business Park has the potential to generate investment and create jobs in West Michigan, while serving as a national model of what communities can achieve with a practical, innovative approach towards recycling and upcycling,” said Birgit M. Klohs, President and CEO, The Right Place, Inc. “We look forward to partnering with Kent County Department of Public Works to bring the Sustainable Business Park to life.”
Kentwood Public Works Department oversees the city’s brush and tree recycling center. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood has reopened its brush drop-off site for residents to dispose of debris resulting from recent storms.
Residents may drop off brush, sticks, tree limbs and logs from storm damage at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, located at 5068 Breton Ave. SE, during daylight hours now through Sunday, March 10.
“Our crews are working hard to help clean up any storm damage,” said Jim Wolford, Department of Public Works supervisor. “We’ve reopened our brush drop-off site as residents have expressed a need for drop-off services as they address the trees, branches and brush that have fallen on their properties.”
The service is available to Kentwood residents only. Materials that cannot be accepted include: leaves, grass clippings, trash, dirt, concrete, asphalt, tires, rocks, stones, construction materials, glass or metal.
For more information about the City of Kentwood Department of Public Works visit the department’s page at kentwood.us .
Kent County Department Of Public Works resource recovery specialist Lauren Westerman, in black, leads a tour of the county’s current waste recovery process. (Supplied/Kent County)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
A major component of the Kent County Department of Public Works’s plan to reduce county landfall waste by 20 percent by 2020 — and 90 percent by 2030 — is to gain community buy-in for the plan.
And a big part of that component is having Resource Recovery Specialists provide tours and presentations and “work collaboratively with community organizations to help them realize the impacts of waste on our community and how they can take action to help reduce our reliance on landfills,” according to supplied information.
As part of that effort, the county Department of Public Works (DPW) announced last week a major addition to department’s educational programs with the hire of Katelyn Nettler as a new resource recovery specialist.
In addition, the DWP announced that Lauren Westerman, also a resource recovery specialist, recently earned her environmental educator certification from the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education.
“We are always looking for ways to enhance our educational programs, and our resource recovery specialists play a vital role in our commitment to community outreach and education,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, said in supplied material. “Both Lauren and Katelyn bring fresh perspectives to our program and will help us develop new strategies for educating our community about the importance of protecting our environment through reducing, reusing, recycling and reimagining how we manage discards.”
Nettler comes to the DPW from the Blandford Nature Center where she was a volunteer and outreach manager. She will support Westerman with outreach and education through developing audio and visual content for the DPW’s website, social media and other platforms. Nettler’s role will focus on giving the community a look at the county’s trash and recycling process and teaching people how to safely dispose of chemicals and other hazardous materials.
“I am looking forward to working with community partners to ensure access and awareness of programs that help reduce waste designed for the landfill,” Nettler said. “There are many opportunities to reduce landfill waste in our community and I’m excited to hit the ground running in this new role.”
Westerman completed her environmental certification in November. The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education offers an Environmental Educator Certification that is recognized by the North American Association for Environmental Education, a leading professional organization in environmental education.
According to MAEOE, environmental literacy can be defined as understanding how to make decisions that minimize environmental impact. Westerman will use her certification to grow Kent County DPW’s recycling and waste management education programs.
“I pursued this certification to expand my communication skills and gain experience as an environmental educator that I can apply to the Kent County DPW’s programs,” Westerman said. “This program challenged me to define objectives and goals for each program and to incorporate evaluation tools throughout the process. I am excited to continue using these new skills as I teach more recycling and waste programs in the coming years.”
Westerman has been with the Kent DPW for three years. In her role, she leads tours through the Recycling Center and Land ll, visits schools for various education programs, and interacts with the public throughout the year. She earned her Master of Environmental Science from Taylor University in Indiana.
For more information on Kent County’s 2020/2030 plans visit reimaginetrash.org .
Kentwood Public Works Department oversees the city’s brush and tree recycling. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood has reopened its brush drop-off site for residents to dispose of debris resulting from recent storms.
Residents may drop off brush, sticks, tree limbs and logs from storm damage at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, located at 5068 Breton Ave. SE, during daylight hours now through Sunday, Feb. 17.
“Our crews are working hard to help clean up any storm damage,” said Jim Wolford, Department of Public Works supervisor. “We’ve reopened our brush drop-off site as residents have expressed a need for drop-off services as they address the trees, branches and brush that have fallen on their properties.”
The service is available to Kentwood residents only. Materials that cannot be accepted include: leaves, grass clippings, trash, dirt, concrete, asphalt, tires, rocks, stones, construction materials, glass or metal.
The holidays are a great time for packaging and parties, but there can be a lot of waste to be recycled properly. (Pixabay)
By Kent County Department of Public Works
Wrapping paper, bubble wrap and Christmas lights are just a few items that should not go in recycling bins this holiday season, Kent County Department of Public Works announced today as part of its 2018 Holiday Waste Guide.
“While the holiday season is a time for gift giving, holiday parties and family dinners, it’s also the me of year when our waste drastically increases – almost by 25 percent nationwide,” said Lauren Westerman, Kent County DPW’s Resource Recovery educator. “We’re asking everyone to be aware of what can go into their recycling bins this holiday season and take steps to reduce their waste, recycle and donate old items.”
The Kent County DPW estimates that by the end of 2018 residents will have recycled 500,000 Christmas trees-worth of paper, enough aluminum to make 74,000 tabletop Menorahs and steel to make 53,000 Radio Flyer wagons. To help reduce and recycle even more waste this holiday season, Kent County DPW encourages residents to follow these dos and don’ts:
Do bring reusable shopping bags. Remember to bring reusable bags when Christmas shopping or going to any store, not just the grocery store.
DO NOT recycle wrapping or tissue paper. Wrapping and tissue paper cannot be recycled because it’s low-quality paper that paper mills can’t use to make new paper products. Reduce use of wrapping paper this holiday season by using other creative materials to wrap gifts, such as old maps, colorful cloth or old gift bags.
DO separate packaging. From plastic to cardboard to strings, it’s important to separate packaging materials before recycling them. For example, if a toy comes in a plastic package that also has cardboard, make sure to separate both materials before recycling.
DO NOT throw away electronics. Before throwing away old appliances, gaming systems or other electronics, visit Kent County DPW’s recycling guide.
DO recycle glass bottles. Remember to rinse all glass bottles before placing them in a recycling bin.
DO NOT recycle artificial Christmas trees. Instead, donate them to thrift stores. For those who put up real trees, remember to remove all ornaments, tinsel and other decorations before taking them to a local drop off site.
The Kent County DPW also reminds residents to safely dispose of hazardous materials such as reworks, cooking oil, propane tanks and ammunition on by taking these items to a local drop-o center for safe disposal. These items should never be placed in a trash or recycling bin. For drop-off locations, visit reimaginetrash.org .
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Supplied/Kent County)
By Kent County
In an effort to provide opportunity for partnerships and innovative approaches to managing waste, the Kent County Board of Public Works last week approved the Sustainable Business Park Master Plan for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Land ll in Byron Center.
The Sustainable Business Park Master Plan was created by local and national experts over the course of 12 months and includes details on the necessary improvements, costs, funding sources and implementation schedule for the project.
“We set a bold goal of diverting 90 percent of trash from the South Kent Land ll by 2030, and building a Sustainable Business Park is essential to reaching that goal,” said Dar Baas, Director of the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW). “With the approval of the Master Plan we have a roadmap for how organizations, businesses, technology developers, startups and non-profits can help us make progress toward our economic and environmental goals and advance our vision for a Circular Economy.”
The Master Plan includes recommendations for how Kent County can transition from a reliance upon disposal of trash in landfills towards a sustainable materials management system where waste materials are either reused in new processes or products or used in the production of energy.
Building a Sustainable Business Park is part of the Kent County DPW’s solution to decreasing the growing amount of solid waste buried in Kent County’s South Kent Land ll. Kent County DPW processes over 1 billion pounds of waste each year at its facilities and estimates 75 percent of that waste could be reused, recycled or converted. Currently, only 6 to 8 percent of waste is recycled.
“The Sustainable Business Park is a step in the right direction to finding alternatives to landfilling waste,” said Ted Vonk, chair of the Board of Public Works. “By approving this Master Plan we are proving Kent County to be a national leader in implementing a practical, innovative approach to managing our waste while creating jobs in our region.”
For more information about the Sustainable Business Park and to download the completed plan, visit www.reimaginetrash.org.
The City of Kentwood will continue a yard debris drop-off site this fall.
By City of Kentwood
After receiving positive feedback from the community, the City of Kentwood will continue to pilot its brush drop-off program this fall.
The program will run concurrently with the City’s annual leaf drop-off site at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton Ave. SE, from Saturday, Oct. 13 through Saturday, Dec. 8. The sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The initial pilot of the program collected more than 2,640 cubic yards of brush, comparable to the average volume of a hot air balloon.
“The brush drop-off site was well-received this summer, and residents expressed an interest in us offering it again this fall,” said John Gorney, director of public works. “We’re hopeful that by providing both brush and leaf collection services at the Department of Public Works, residents will find it convenient to take care of a bulk of their autumn lawn care needs in one place.”
Beyond helping make yard maintenance easier, leaf and brush collections services also help residents stay in compliance with City ordinances. The accumulation of leaves and debris within the lot line of a property or upon the adjacent right-of-way is prohibited in the City of Kentwood, as is burning leaves and brush.
The brush drop-off site will accept brush, sticks, tree limbs and logs. Materials that cannot be accepted include: trash, dirt, concrete, asphalt, tires, rocks, stones, construction materials, glass or metal.
The services are available to Kentwood residents only; anyone wishing to drop off items must show proof of residency.
Microbeads can evade filtration at water treatment plants and end up in the Great Lakes, and can be mistaken as food to marine life.
WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
The federal Microbead-Free Waters Act took effect on July 1. The new law, which was passed in 2015, prohibits the sale and manufacturing use of microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics.
Although the bill was passed in 2015, the three-year period allowed cosmetic companies to phase out the production and sale of microbeads in their products.
Research from the State University of New York in Fredonia found anywhere from 1,500 to 1.1 million microbeads per square mile in the Great Lakes.
The legislation had bi-partisan support, including Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI).
“Microbeads pose a very real danger to our Great Lakes and threaten our fish and wildlife populations,” Sen. Stabenow said in 2015, at the time of the bill passing. “This bipartisan bill is an important step in keeping our wildlife protected and our waters safe.”
Microbeads are used in body wash, facial scrubs, and shampoo to aid in exfoliation. Once microbeads are washed down drain, they may evade filtration at water treatment plants and end up in the Great Lakes, according to supplied material. These plastic particles add to the plastic pollution in the lakes and can be mistaken as food to marine life.
“This is an important step to ensure that our Great Lakes are protected for generations to come,” Sen. Peters said in supplied material at the time the ban went into effect this week. “Pollution from microbeads is a serious threat to the health of the Great Lakes, and our ban will help keep our wildlife and waterways safe from further harm.”
More information may be found on the Federal Drug Administration’s website here.
Kent County Department of Public Works is reminding people that propane tanks should not be placed in trash or recycling carts once empty.
The arrival of summer marks the start of grilling and camping season when people will be using small, portable propane tanks often. Whether using the larger style for barbecue grills, or the small style used for camping lanterns, empty 1-pound and 20-pound propane tanks should never be disposed of in trash or recycling carts.
“For the safety of our facilities and our staff and those of others in the waste and recycling industry, it’s critically important that empty propane tanks be transported directly to an appropriate propane handler,” said Kent County DPW Communications Manager Kristen Wieland. “Even though the propane tanks seem empty, there are always some vapors left inside that can cause an explosion at our facilities or in waste collection vehicles.”
Kent County’s Recycling & Education Center has experienced two explosions in the last two years, both in June, from propane tanks. One staff person was sent for evaluation but no injuries resulted from the explosions. Propane tanks also pose risks to waste collection drivers and vehicles when the waste is collected and then compacted inside the truck.
Empty propane tanks should be taken to a local drop-off center for safe disposal since they still contain explosive vapors. Kent County DPW lists participating locations on their website, www.reimaginetrash.org. Locations include Alto, Wyoming, Grand Rapids, Cedar Springs, Rockford and Byron Center.
One part of a Consumers Energy’s EmPOWERing Kent County package of programs, — which was the focus of a wide-ranging, business-focused discussion Tuesday, May 22 — are efforts to assist businesses big and small to save money on their energy bills.
And one local company, Rishi’s International Beverage, located just across 28th Avenue from Kentwood, was presented as a case-in-point at the discussion, held at downtown Grand Rapids’ JW Marriott.
“We had many light bulbs and the electric bill was outrageous because we have, like, 600 bulbs — the bill was very high, I was concerned about that,” Paul Makkar, Rishi’s owner, said to WKTV.
The company then applied for an energy assessment and energy savings program through Consumers Energy and “we were given a significant amount of money to change to LED lights. So, the very first month after installing all those lights, we got like a $400 difference every month. … which is like $5,000 per year.”
Makkar’s small business took advantage of one of several programs discussed at the morning gathering, which also allowed businesses attending direct access to energy and economic development experts. (The Right Place local economic development group was in attendance.)
Among the programs discussed were energy efficiency, which invited each business to receive a free energy assessment “to help reduce energy use and save money over the long haul,” according to supplied material.
“Part of this program has been designed with you (small businesses) in mind,” Garrick Rochow, senior vice president of operations at Consumers Energy, told the crowd. “The small business programs are driven by our contractors … those contractors will come out to your business, provide an assessment, make some recommendations, break down the costs to you, if any.”
Consumers Energy has several environmentally friendly energy generation efforts, including solar gardens. (Consumers Energy)
Other services offered to small businesses were a rate review, to make sure as businesses grow, other more competitive rate options may be available; how to become a supplier to Consumers Energy — which has made a commitment to Michigan-based small businesses as potential suppliers; as well as renewable energy options for businesses.
As far as Consumers Energy’s renewable energy efforts, also detailed at the meeting was the company’s goals: in the next five years, the company (which has one of its customer service centers in Kentwood) wants to save 1 billion gallons of water, reduce waste to landfills by 35 percent, and enhance and protect 5,000 acres of Michigan land; by the year 2040, it wants to reduce carbon immersions by 80 percent and eliminate the use of coal in energy generation.
For more information on the Consumers Energy small business programs, visit comsumersenergy.com or call 800-805-0490.
Kentwood Public Works Department oversees the city’s recycling center.
City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood is sponsoring a Community Clean-Up Day for residents wanting to spring clean their homes and yards.
The Community Clean-Up Day, scheduled for Saturday, May 5, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., will allow residents to bring general debris, gently used items for donation, household hazardous materials and electronic devices to be recycled.
The drop-off will be located near the Kentwood Recycling Center, 5068 Breton Ave. SE.
“This is a great opportunity for residents to dispose or recycle items they no longer want or use,” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley. “We are excited to partner with organizations like the Salvation Army, who will be accepting donations; Comprenew, who will be able to properly dispose of electronics; and Kent County, who will accept household hazardous waste.”
Examples of accepted electronics include mobile phones, computers and fax machines. Although CRT monitors (old-style vacuum tubes used as display screens in older computer monitor or TVs) will not be accepted at the drop-off site, they can be brought directly to a local Comprenew store. (Comprenew has a local store at 1454 28th St SE, Grand Rapids; call 616-243-5310 for more information.)
Yard waste, mattresses and tires are not accepted at Community Clean-Up Day.
Community Clean-Up Day is free and open to residents of Kentwood. Residents will be asked to show their photo ID for proof of residency.
In addition to Community Clean-up Day, the City of Kentwood will also provide a brush drop-off site from May 7 to June 2. Acceptable items include sticks, branches, logs and tree stumps. Kentwood residents can drop-off between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. The site will be closed on Sundays.
For more information, please visit www.kentwood.us or call 616-698-9610.
One of the events the City of Wyoming hosts is its annual Community Clean-Up Day.
The City of Wyoming, through the support of the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, will have its annual Community Clean-Up Day Saturday at Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW.
The site will be open form 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Residents need to have a picture ID with them or proof of residency. Residents will enter east off of 44th Street to the northeast entrance of the church. For the full store, click here.
Wyoming: Flamingo Avenue to get trees
Mayor Jack Poll reads a proclamation at last year’s Arbor Day event.
This Saturday, the Tree Amigos and student volunteers will plant 24 street trees in the City of Wyoming. Planting will begin 9 a.m. in the 4200 block of Flamingo Avenue SW where ten Wyoming residents have signed up for the project. For more on this story, click here.
Kentwood: EK student makes her stage debut
East Kentwood student Ania Powell makes her Civic Theatre debut with “Akeelah and the Bee.”
Ania Powell makes her Grand Rapids Civic Theatre debut in “Akeehal and the Bee,” which opens on Friday and runs through April 29 at the Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. For more on the story, click here.
Wyoming and Kentwood: Record Store Day is Saturday
This Saturday, April 21, is the annual Record Store Day in the Grand Rapids area and, quite literally, around the world. It is a day to celebrate small music stores but also to celebrate records — music on vinyl. For more on the story, click here.
Public Museum: “Water’s Extreme Journey” coming to a close
Water’s Extreme Journey is open now at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) taking visitors on a quest for clean water through an experiential maze! But the exhibit is only open through April 29. For more on this story, click here.
The City of Kentwood will pilot a yard debris drop-off site this spring.
WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
The City of Kentwood will launch a new brush drop-off site to residents this May, coinciding with its annual community clean-up effort. The brush drop-off project is a pilot project.
Residents of the city will be able to dispose of sticks, branches and logs at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton Ave. SE, from May 7 to June 2.
Residents can stop by between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. The site will be closed on Sundays.
“Residents expressed a desire to have this service available, and we hope it will make spring cleaning and yard care easier,” John Gorney, director of public works, said in supplied material. “A drop-off site has worked well in other communities and we are excited for its launch in Kentwood.”
The site will not accept grass clippings, leaves, trash, dirt, concrete, asphalt, tires, rocks, stones, construction materials, glass or metal.
The service is available to Kentwood residents only, and anyone wishing to drop off items must show proof of residency.
For more information on the brush drop-off program visit kentwood.us .
For more information on the community clean-up, visit kentwood.us .
It would have been easy for Metro Health-University of Michigan Health to just dispose of the huge banners created as temporary building signs when the two health care providers joined in 2016. But that’s not their way of doing business.
So, when permanent signage was placed on the healthcare providers’s hospital, located at 5900 Byron Center Ave SW in Wyoming, the temporary signs were put into storage and discussions started on how to recycle them in some way.
That is when Metro Health Foundation’s impACT Board, and a burgeoning relationship with Mel Trotter Ministries, came up with the answer — make blankets to help the homeless in our area.
On Feb. 16, a total of 145 weather-resistant blankets, along with several bags containing personal care items, were delivered to Mel Trotter Ministries in the Heartside of downtown Grand Rapids.
Dean Herried, Mel Trotter Ministries (WKTV)
“These blankets are going to be utilized by individuals and families here to help keep them warm during these cold winter months in Michigan,” Dean Herried, chief engagement officer for Mel Trotter Ministries, said to WKTV. “We are so thankful for our partnership with the impACT Board, with the University of Michigan Health Foundation, with Metro Health Hospital Foundation, for their generous donation of these blankets. We would not be able to do this without their help and assistance.”
The four original banners were made to be weather-proof — they hung on the hospital for more than six months and took a lot of beating — and, with the addition of the felt, the blankets now can provide some protection from the cold as well. Some of the material was also turned into bags to be filled with a blanket and other personal needs, also to be given out to the homeless through Mel Trotter Ministries.
“This really helps Mel Trotter fulfill our mission of showing the compassion of Christ through programs of restoration and rescue in our community,” Herried said.
In a different way, the donation — and the work put into turning banners into blankets — fulfills the mission of Metro Health-University of Michigan Health.
Trevor Mier, Metro Health-University of Michigan Health. (WKTV)
“This donation really came about as a result of us having a long history of sustainable practices at the hospital,” Trevor Mier, Support Services administrator for Metro Health-University of Michigan Health, said to WKTV. “We hated to think about these temporary banners being thrown away once we are done with them. So we came up with the idea of recycling them into something, but we were not exactly sure what that was going to be.”
The healthcare provider had some discussions, decided it would be a good idea to establish a relationship with Mel Trotter Ministries, through the impACT Board, to support the ministries’ efforts to help the homeless. And the idea was born.
“What if we took those banners and turned them into blankets for the homeless at Mel Trotter?” Mier said. “So we reached out to a vender we had used before in the past, and they cut up the banners into 3(foot) by 5(foot) sections, sewed a little bit of felt onto them, and turned them into these great blankets for those in need downtown.”
The goal of the Metro Health Hospital Foundation’s impACT Board, according to its website, is “Mobilizing community through change-makers, who use their skills and careers to drive vital change. … Many people want to make a difference, but turning good intentions into tangible impact can be hard. With the Foundation impACT Board, professionals and community do-gooders become the most effective change-agents they can be by taking on community health projects, volunteering at organizations with like causes and building a strong network of brand ambassadors for Metro Health Hospital Foundation.”
Well, the stats are in from the big Earth Day event at the 2017 Community Clean Up Day in the City of Wyoming and they are nothing short of amazing. Wyoming residents showed up in droves — the stats speak for themselves:
Approximately 400 vehicles went through the site
15,000 pounds of electronics recycling — including 140 Tube TVs — were collected
5,096 pounds of household hazardous waste was dropped off
4,400 pounds of metal were recycled
43 dumpsters were filled and
60 tons of refuse hauled away by Plummer’s Disposal
Five Godwin and Lee High School students pitched in, and so did nine family and friends of City of Wyoming employees. And 44 City of Wyoming employees were on hand to make sure the big Earth Day event was a success.
The old South Kent Landfill — formerly known as the Paris Township Dump — has been closed since 1976 but 40 years on, the community is still dealing with the consequences of waste disposition during an era with no environmental protection standards in place. The 72-acre landfill is one of 65 sites in 30 Michigan counties that are designated as Superfund sites — sites that were polluted decades ago and are now eligible for federal funding for cleanup.
The closed Kentwood Landfill is under regular monitoring by the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) with oversight by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (The City of Kentwood owns the property; Kent County manages it pursuant to a consent agreement between Kent County and the EPA.)
Recently, testing at the site at 4900 Walma SE in Kentwood — off Breton Road north of 52nd Street — found methane gas underground at several depths to the west of the landfill site; it has spread farther beyond the landfill boundary. Eleven monitoring wells detected methane in the ground at depths of 5 feet to 50 feet. Concentrations of the gas are high above flammability levels and could cause an explosion if not vented and flared.
It’s important to note that residents don’t face any higher risk than they have been in the past, according to Kristi Zakrzewski, the DEQ’s project manager for the landfill.
If you are one of the 150 households located within 1500 feet of the west edge of the old South Kent Landfill, you should receive — or have already received — a letter from Kent County about arranging testing for methane gas. You’ll be able to request quick, on-site testing for methane through the Kent County Department of Public Works at no cost to you.
“Safety is our priority as we move forward with this investigation,” said Dar Baas, Director of the Kent County Department of Public Works.
Action shot of trash disposal at the current South Kent Landfill
“We are hiring an engineering consultant and have already started investigating methods to resolve the gas migration. We also have been in contact with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA.”
Methane, caused by the natural breakdown of organic materials — such as paper, cardboard, branches and wood — normally forms in landfills. Escaping methane is flared (burned) at gas stand wells on the site to prevent the gas from reaching the atmosphere, where it is detrimental to the ozone layer. An alternative to burning it is to convert it to electricity, and Kent County is looking into the feasibility of doing so, but there is no way of knowing how much methane is trapped under the landfill and whether it would be economical to build an electrical facility there.
Although the migration of methane beyond the landfill boundary is concerning, the DPW did not detect methane inside any neighboring buildings. They are working with the Kent County Health Department; if methane is found at the outer edge of the landfill, they will expand the gas stand wells.
Methane gas likes to spread upward. When it can’t, it seeks alternative ways to travel — horizontally — which is why it may be found outside the perimeters of the dump site. Any leaks are most likely to occur in crawl spaces and cracks in a building’s foundation, any place where methane gas can get through.
We’ve come a long way since the 1800s when people simply opened their back doors and threw their trash out. The Pantlind Hotel once had a piggery where people dumped their organic matter to feed the pigs.
Baas said that the South Kent Landfill dates back to the late 1940s when dumps had no environmental standards for the waste that was deposited there.
“The Baby Boomers started these dumps after World War II,” Baas said. “There’s a little bit of everything here.”
In the early 1950s, the area was the town dump, then became a licensed solid waste facility in 1966. The City of Kentwood operated the landfill from 1968 to 1970; Kent County operated it from 1971 to 1975. It was closed in early 1976 and capped in 1995 with several layers of clay — 6-inch layers creating a 2-foot cap — after which it was covered with topsoil and seeded with grass seed to keep the methane gas trapped. The site is mowed regularly to keep plants and trees from taking root and contributing to the methane problem.
In addition to organic materials, the site contains industrial waste.
“We used to have to treat the leachate waste water after the dump closed in 1976,” said Baas. “Forty years later, we are still dealing with the ramifications of this landfill, but we no longer have to treat the leachate as it’s a lot cleaner.”
Business as usual at current South Kent Landfill
Cleanup, operation and maintenance activities and groundwater monitoring are ongoing.
“We will always have to watch over it,” Baas said. “Today, it looks like a meadow, but we have no way of knowing how long it will be before it can be used for other purposes.”
The public is invited to attend a Q&A session presented by the Kent County Department of Public Works on Wednesday, August 31 at 7 pm at Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Officials from the City of Kentwood will also be at the meeting to answer questions.
If you have questions, contact the Kent County Department of Public Works at 616.632.7920.
Computers wil be accepted at the Electronics Recycling/Shredding Event on Saturday, Sept. 10.
During last spring’s highly successful City of Wyoming’s Clean-Up Day, organizers noticed a need that was not being addressed – what to do with old televisions, computers, printers, VCRs and other electronics.
“After the clean-up day event we began to look around to see what options were available to dispose of electronics,” said Nancy Stoddard who works in the City of Wyoming’s treasurer’s office and is chair of the Looks Good Committee which organized the April clean-up event.
During that process, Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR) approached the city about partnering to host an electronics recycling event.
“ATR has a grant for such programs and wanted to see if the city was interested in hosting such an event,” Stoddard said.
My Personal Credit Union also had talked to the city about hosting a paper shredding event, something the credit union has done for its members in the past. The city pulled the two programs together under the Electronics Recycling/Shredding Event which will be Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW.
ATR will be handling electronics. Shred-It will be on-hand to help with papers and personal documents and the Kent County Hazardous Waste will be at the site to collect medical mercury devices and exchange mercury thermometers for digital ones.
“Sometimes it is hard to know how to properly dispose of old electronics and personal papers that might contain sensitive information,” Stoddard said. “Partnering with ATR and Shred-It allows us to offer a safe and convenient option for disposal that is also environmentally friendly.”
Not all items will be accepted such as microwaves and small appliances, refrigerators or any unit containing Freon, dishwashers, washers and dryers, stoves, household batteries, light bulbs, furniture, lab or hospital equipment and biohazards. For a complete list of what will be accepted and what will not, click here.
To participate in the Electronics Recycling/Shredding Event, you must have a proof of Wyoming residency identification with you at the drop-off site and you must be in line by 11:45 a.m.
For more information about the Electronics Recycling/Shredding Event, call the city at 530-7284 or 530-7226 or visit www.wyomingmi.gov.
Registration is now open for the 3rd Annual Buck Creek Cleanup, which will be held this year on Saturday, August 13 from 8 am to noon and includes a free lunch. Check in at Lemery Park (4212 Byron Center Ave. SW in Wyoming) at 8 am.
Spend the morning cleaning up trash along and in Buck Creek while meeting new friends. Start with a Biggby coffee and Marge’s Donut Den breakfast, meet your team leader to get directions and a super cool t-shirt, then head out to various sites along the creek.
Car pool with your neighbors and wear clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty, comfortable shoes, waders, or boots are great. (Flip-flops are poison ivy-friendly.) Bring bug spray and a reusable water bottle (stainless steel is eco-friendly.) Gloves will be provided unless you have a favorite pair. Supervised children are welcome.
All volunteers are invited to an Osgood Brewing lunch, compliments of Grandville Mayor Steve Maas.
Contact Pete Miller 517.420.4003 for more information or to sign up, or go here to register. For more info, go here.
This event is being organized by Schrems Trout Unlimited and the newly formed Friends of Buck Creek. Friends of Buck Creek is a group of concerned residents, businesses and governmental units that are interested in improving Buck Creek. Buck Creek is more than 20 miles long,and has an approximate watershed area of 50 square miles. Currently Buck Creek is a cold water resource that is highly threatened because of its urban nature.
Residents unload trash into the dumpsters during the Wyoming Community Clean-Up Day.
Of those who came, most didn’t mind waiting to dump their trash and other items at the Godfrey-Lee Athletic Field this past Saturday. They were just happy that the City of Wyoming was hosting the Community Clean-Up Day event.
“We’re just appreciative that the City of Wyoming did this,” said Wyoming resident Michael Donavan, who also works at Godfrey-Lee. Donavan said his family recently helped his father clean out his garage and he came with a truck and trailer full of items.
“The wait is not that big of deal,” said Wyoming resident Melissa Digiovanna, who had her own vehicle along with a friend’s truck full of items. “It is just super awesome that the city is doing this.”
Early indicators showed that the Wyoming Community Clean-Up Day was to be a success as the original story on now.wktv.org had more than 425 Facebook shares. City officials said there was a line when the event opened at 8 a.m. this past Saturday with one of the four dumpsters completely full shortly after opening.
The line to get into the Community Clean-Up Day at one point was backed up to where Joosten Street intersected with Godfrey Lee Avenue.
Nancy Stoddard, who works in the city’s treasurer’s office and was part of the organizing committee, had hoped for about 300 cars. Final count was 332 vehicles – including some small U-Haul-style trucks. About 130 of those vehicles dropped off household hazardous waste and 33 20-yard roll-offs of trash were collected. Stoddard said she was still waiting on total tonnage collected.
Stoddard said the committee, which was the city employee group Looks Good Committee, already has begun thinking about next year’s event which includes checking with Godfrey-Lee about possibly having the same location. “I have been checking into grant opportunities,” Stoddard said. This year’s event was unwritten by grants. Also Stoddard said next year, organizers are planning to start with eight dumpsters on the ground to help move people through faster.
“The area that we had this year was so spacious, we really had room for more,” Stoddard said.
Megan Kretz, a resource recovery specialist from the Kent County Department of Public Works and who was helping with the event, said the way the Community Clean-Up Day had been organized and laid out, it really didn’t seem like a first-time event. Cars entered through Joosten Street into the Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center’s west parking lot and curved around exiting on to Godfrey Avenue. There were several checkpoints where people could unload household hazardous waste, gently used items to the Salvation Army, recycle items and trash.
“It’s a wonderful event,” said Matthis Fields who was with the Salvation Army. “I love doing these type of events. It’s a beautiful day. Nice weather and I am just so glad to be here.”
As Fields talked, one of the volunteers walked by with a fireplace in an unopened box to put on the Salvation Army truck, which was about two-thirds full by noon.
“This just happens to be one of the good parts, events like these,” Fields said with a smile.
Earth Day is a day we are supposed to take time to take care of this planet we call home. We live here, and just like no one likes a messy house, a messy earth isn’t something fun to be in. I always try to do my part… I recycle, a lot. My recycling bin is nearly always filled to the brim by the time collection day comes. I donate clothes that are still in good condition but no longer fit my current styles. I even recycle my egg cartons to a neighbor that has several laying hens!
However, even I can get lazy with recycling, especially when it comes to technology. Technology feels like a little more effort needs to be put forth. Most of our technology goods can be recycled… but where? How? Ugh, I’ll just deal with it later.
Well my friends, later is now! This year is the year that we clean up our technology that we have cast aside. Let’s start with Comprenew.
Comprenew is a company headquartered in Grand Rapids that has over 20 recycle drop-off locations throughout Michigan, including four refurbished electronic retail stores. The revenue generated goes directly back into the community by funding Comprenew’s educational and workforce development programs.
On Earth Day, Friday, April 22, Comprenew will be in downtown Grand Rapids along Monroe Center in front of Rosa Parks Circle collecting CRT’s, for certified recycling. Residents can drop off unwanted CRTs, for a small fee, from 8am to 2pm.
Best Buy has a large recycling program with a goal of recycling 2 billion pounds of electronics – from batteries, cameras, appliances, and even your phone – by 2020.
Looking to upgrade your phone? Best Buy and certain cellular providers offer trade-in value for you phone.
Have an iPhone that is past its prime? Check out what Apple is doing with old phones they are getting back. Liam was recently introduced to the world and this is a pretty cool recovery robot. Speaking of Apple, through April 24 Apple is donating 100% of the proceeds from participating apps and in-app purchases to help support WWF.
Kent County Recycling Facility
Lastly, if you really want to see the tech behind recycling, make sure to schedule a trip to our own Recycling Facility. Kent County allows scheduled tours of their three facilities to help educate kids on what happens after the recycling truck stops by.
With all this great, new technology coming at us faster each and every year, it’s important to recycle the old once we’ve moved on to the new. Recycle today for a longer tomorrow.
Deidre owns and operates Organisum: Technology Services, a business serving the West Michigan area. In her free time she likes to hike & bike local trails with friends and family when she isn’t pinning, instagram’ing or Netflix’ing.
Marshmallow-y, chocolatey Snowman Soup, Tic-tac-toe games packaged in burlap bags, colorful ornaments, glass magnets and other crafty items will fill the stockings of parents and siblings of Gladiola Elementary students, thanks to some business-savvy students.
The school recently was transformed into the “Wolves Warehouse” Christmas marketplace, as students from kindergarten to fourth-grade classes sold items they created to students and parents.
Homemade crafts for sale covered tables at the marketplace
It was a school-wide lesson in economics as well as a way to share holiday cheer, said fourth-grade teacher Mindy Harris. Rather than offer an adult-run holiday gift shop, students learned grade-level concepts of running a business, like producers and consumers, supply and demand and opportunity cost.
“It’s a real-world connection to economics instead of just spending money,” Harris said.
Each class chose an item to make, set the price and created advertising. Donations and teachers covered initial costs, and each class got to choose how to spend its profits.
Harris’ fourth-graders very quickly sold out of the glass magnets they made and peddled for 50 cents each. Student Dion Idrizi was excited.
“It feels good because everyone wants to buy our magnets, and we will get some money and make a profit,” Dion said.
Be sure to check out School News Network for more stories about our great students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan!
Tiny microbeads in personal care products, which pose dangers to humans and aquatic life, are washing into public waterways. — credit: Alliance for the Great Lakes
On Friday, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass a bipartisan bill focused on keeping microbeads out of the Great Lakes. The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 will protect the Great Lakes from pollution caused by small, plastic microbeads that are ingredients in certain soaps and personal care products.
“Today’s vote is great news for our Great Lakes, which are critical to our economy and Michigan way of life,” said Senator Stabenow, co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “Microbeads pose a very real danger to our Great Lakes and threaten our fish and wildlife populations. This bipartisan bill is an important step in keeping our wildlife protected and our waters safe.”
The legislation passed through the House of Representatives earlier this month. It will phase out the manufacturing of products with microbeads, which get through water treatment facilities.
Microbeads from products like face washes and toothpaste often end up floating in the Great Lakes, where they can build up as plastic pollution and are often mistaken for food by fish. In the Great Lakes, anywhere between 1,500 to 1.1 million microbeads can be found per square mile.
“This commonsense, bipartisan effort to phase out microbeads in consumer products like face wash and toothpaste is an important step toward protecting our Great Lakes,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “Synthetic plastic microbeads amplify the effects of pollution and threaten wildlife in the Great Lakes ecosystem. I’m pleased that my Senate colleagues are sending this vital measure to the President’s desk to ensure our Great Lakes continue to thrive.”
The world’s largest source of freshwater just became a little bit cleaner.
Cambrian Innovation, provider of distributed water and wastewater solutions for industrial producers, today announced Northern United Brewing Company (NUBC) is the first customer to install Cambrian’s EcoVolt® Mini. The EcoVolt® Mini converts high-strength wastewater into reusable quality water in one simple container designed specifically for growing breweries, wineries, and dairies. Northern United Brewing Company (NUBC), a family-owned Michigan brewery dedicated to making beers of outstanding art and flavor, will use EcoVolt® Mini to scale operations, cut operating costs, and improve its environmental footprint.
NUBC purchased the EcoVolt® Mini to alleviate pressure on the local wastewater treatment plant, allowing both the brewery and the community to grow. The State of Michigan provided a grant to help fund the project. EcoVolt® Mini will remove contaminants and solids from the wastewater while producing up to 11,500 therms of heat per year. The system will eliminate over 65 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of planting over 50 acres of trees every year. This initial installation will support an expansion of NUBC’s production of more than 40 percent.
“We were stuck between a rock and hard place—we wanted to make more beer to meet growing demand, but our community’s treatment plant capacity was tapped out,” said Northern United Brewing Company CEO and CFO Tony Grant. “With the City’s and State’s help, we are bringing wastewater management in-house with an innovative system from Cambrian. We’re excited to expand our production, and we’re proud to do our part to reduce pressure on the community’s water system.”
Photo Courtesy of Cambrian Innovation
Compressing the revolutionary bioelectrically enhanced EcoVolt® Reactor and the EcoVolt® MBR into one, prefabricated module, the EcoVolt®Mini is an all-in-one water reuse container. Designed for food and beverage producers that are generating under 15,000 – 20,000 gallons of wastewater a day, the Mini rapidly removes over 99.9 percent of pollutants and solids from the waste stream, producing reusable water and renewable biogas. The system is designed to be automated, cutting down on operating expenses and saving businesses the headache of dealing with their wastewater.
“This project is the result of a strong collaboration to adopt and implement the right solution not only for NUBC, but also the community,” said Cambrian CEO Matthew Silver. “The EcoVolt® Mini’s compact design brings our EcoVolt® product line to smaller-scale operations that still want the big benefits of advanced wastewater treatment.”
At current levels, the waste stream resulting from the NUBC brewing process uses a significant amount of the industrial capacity in the City of Dexter’s municipal wastewater treatment system, preventing new food, beverage, or agricultural businesses from setting up operations in Dexter. This venture between Cambrian and NUBC, which will knock down barriers to business growth within the region, is funded in part by the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) through the Strategic Growth Initiative Grant Program.
“This project is timely and very important,” stated Dexter Mayor, Shawn Keough. “Capacity constraints have not only capped NUBC’s growth, but they have affected the City’s ability to operate our plant efficiently. The solution developed by Cambrian and Northern United will hopefully free up capacity in our treatment system and reduce our operational challenges. We are excited to see the positive effects of this new technology.”
“We anticipate that this project will be a model that can be deployed across the State of Michigan. There are hundreds of food, beverage, and agricultural producers in Michigan who face the same challenges as NUBC,” said MDARD Agriculture Development Division Director Peter Anastor. “Cambrian’s innovative solution helps food and agriculture businesses grow and relieves pressure on our public infrastructure.”
NUBC’s EcoVolt® Mini is scheduled to be installed during the spring of 2016.
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow, Gary Peters, and Congressman Dan Kildee are urging newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take action to stop nuclear waste from being buried less than a mile from Lake Huron.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Stabenow, Peters, and Kildee urged the new Canadian government to not approve permits necessary to construct a proposed nuclear waste site in Kincardine, Ontario.
“The Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource,” the letter states, “Given the critical importance of these shared waters to our countries, and the potentially catastrophic damages to the Lakes from a nuclear accident, we urge your administration not to approve this repository and consider alternative locations outside the Great Lakes Basin.”
The previous Canadian administration said a decision on whether or not to move forward with the construction of a nuclear waste site would be made by December 2. Given the proximity of the proposed nuclear waste site to the Great Lakes, an accident that releases radioactive material could devastate the Great Lakes’ $7 billion fishing industry, harm Michigan’s economy, and severely damage environmentally sensitive areas. More than 40 million people in Canada and the United States rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water.
Earlier this year, the Stop Nuclear Waste by Our Lakes Act was introduced by Stabenow, Peters, and Kildee to require the State Department to invoke the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This would mandate that the International Joint Commission (IJC) study the risks to the Great Lakes from the proposed Canadian nuclear waste site.
The legislation would also require the State Department to undertake negotiations with the Government of Canada to wait for the study results before approving any waste site located on the Great Lakes.
Full Text from the Letter Below:
Dear Prime Minister Trudeau: Please accept our congratulations on being elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. We are eager to work collaboratively with your administration to advance our many shared interests and mutually reconcile issues where our countries may differ. We write to you today about a matter of great concern to the citizens of our respective states: the risks to the Great Lakes of constructing a deep geological repository for storing 7,000,000 cubic feet of radioactive waste on the shores of Lake Huron in Kincardine, Ontario. As you are aware, the previous Administration postponed to December 2 the deadline for rendering the final decision on whether to permit the planning for constructing the facility. The Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource — providing drinking water to 40 million people on both sides of the border and billions of dollars to our regional and national economies. Given the critical importance of these shared waters to our countries, and the potentially catastrophic damages to the Lakes from a nuclear accident, we urge your administration not to approve this repository and consider alternative locations outside the Great Lakes Basin. At the very least, we ask that the final decision be postponed until we have an opportunity to discuss this matter with you in person. Thank you for your consideration of our requests. We look forward to working with you and your Administration.
While Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22, at Metro Health, we’re committed to making every day Earth Day! We’re featuring activities all month long to help educate our community and demonstrate how even small changes can make a big difference for our environment.
Please join us for these great activities:
Community Clean Up Day – Friday, April 17, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Now that spring is here, we can see our village could use some spring cleaning. Get some exercise and fresh air while contributing to your community. Wear some old clothes, bring a rake, your work gloves and the family, and pitch in to help clean up Metro Health Village. This may be the most fun you ever had picking up trash! Click here to learn more and to register.
Community Electronic Recycling & Paper Shredding – Tuesday, April 21 – Thursday, April 23
Drop off your unwanted electronics to be recycled at no cost to you. You can also drop off confidential records and papers to be shredded. Please no refrigerators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers or large appliances. Click here to learn more about electronic recycling and click here to learn more about paper shredding.
Mercury Thermometer & Drug Take Back Day – Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Drop off expired or unused prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. You can also exchange your mercury thermometers at this event. Click here to learn more.
Time to give the creek some love!
Well my friends, later is now! This year is the year that we clean up our technology that we have cast aside. Let’s start with 
