The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) has released its annual Spring Recycling Guide. The Guide informs residents on what they can dispose of and recycle as they begin spring cleaning.
(Courtesy, Kent County DPW)
The Spring Recycling Guide shares valuable tips on recycling and properly disposing of waste, including everything from cartons and cans to bulky plastic containers to chemicals and cleaners and propane tanks. Properly disposing of these household items can help Kent County reach its goal to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.
Multiple options are available for disposal
“So many items that get placed in residents’ trash bins can be disposed of in a better way, and the DPW’s Spring Recycling Guide offers helpful information to help protect our environment,” said Katelyn Kikstra, Waste Reduction Educator at the DPW.
“We encourage residents to use the guide and our online Recycling & Waste directory to help reduce landfill waste.”
(Courtesy, Kent County DPW)
The guide details what can be recycled in Kent County including paper folders and shredded documents, corrugated plastic yard signs, aluminum trays and foil.
If items cannot go in residents’ recycling bins, there are additional options that help avoid items being sent to a landfill. Many household items may not be recyclable but can still be safely disposed of including paints and stains, garden hoses and electronics.
Resources
The DPW also offers a newly updated and user-friendly online directory in which residents can search virtually any item and find out how to dispose of or recycle it.
Kent County’s Waste-to-Energy facility. (Courtesy, Kent County Department of Public Works)
Vicinity Energy, a decarbonization leader with the nation’s most extensive portfolio of district energy systems, will partner with Kent County Department of Public Works to operate the Waste-to-Energy facility in Grand Rapids.
Vicinity and Kent County have entered into a long-term service agreement that ensures the facility will operate safely and efficiently. The partnership will save Kent County in operating costs annually while reinforcing its commitment to quality service, the environment, and the local workforce.
“For more than 30 years, Waste-to-Energy has been a key part of Kent County’s integrated waste management system, and it allows our community to responsibly and reliably dispose of solid waste while producing local energy and reducing the amount of waste going into landfills,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works. “We’re continuing to invest in the Waste-to-Energy facility, and this new partnership with Vicinity will ensure it operates safely and efficiently for years to come.”
Vicinity has welcomed the existing plant employees to its team and will hire more team members to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable services are delivered to the residents and businesses served by the facility. This partnership marks a critical milestone in Vicinity’s commitment to sustainability and bringing new jobs and services to West Michigan.
“We are proud to serve as the new operator of this critical piece of Kent County’s waste management system and look forward to continuing to work with the community well into the future,” said Kevin Hagerty, deputy CEO and chief operating officer of Vicinity Energy. “In addition to ensuring a smooth transition from the prior operator, our team has been hard at work on providing the most reliable, resilient, and sustainable services possible.”
The Waste-to-Energy facility incinerates non-hazardous solid waste from municipal and commercial operations in Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker, and Wyoming. Each year, the facility prevents 190,000 tons of waste from going to landfill, generates enough energy to power 11,000 homes, and recovers enough steel to make 3,000 cars.
The Waste-to-Energy facility upholds the highest environmental standards, achieving Michigan’s Clean Corporate Citizen (C3) designation each year since 2006. The facility also meets or exceeds the strictest federal standards set forth by the EPA and other regulatory bodies and employs sophisticated clean-air technologies to achieve superior environmental performance. The plant operates, on average, 90% below permit limits.
“We are thrilled to partner with Kent County and welcome the new members to the Vicinity team in Grand Rapids,” said Jesse Douglas, vice president and general manager of Vicinity’s Grand Rapids operations. “This transition of operations is an exciting step for both the County and Vicinity to bring innovative solutions to the communities we mutually serve.”
Vicinity also owns and operates the heating and cooling facility that provides clean steam to about 10 million square feet of space in downtown Grand Rapids. Vicinity’s district energy system maintains between 90-95% efficiency year-round. All Grand Rapids customers connected to district energy have a 38% lower annual carbon footprint than if they were to self-generate heat, with future improvements intended to offer renewable, carbon-free energy solutions as part of Vicinity’s Clean Energy Future plan.
The Kent County Department of Public Works is hosting a tire collection event Nov. 12. (Pxhere.com)
Community members can safely recycle up to 10 passenger tires for free during an event hosted by the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW).
Kent County residents can drop off their old tires from 8:30-11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Grand Rapids SafeChem location, 1045 Wealthy St. SW. DPW’s resource recovery specialists will be on hand to help unload vehicles and safely dispose of the tires for recycling.
“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 Steve Faber, marketing and communications manager of the DPW. “We encourage Kent County residents to take advantage of this collection event to properly dispose of old tires.”
Tire disposal normally costs between $4-6 per tire depending on their size at Kent County DPW facilities. The last free tire collection event hosted by the DPW was in fall 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tires are often found in illegal dumping sites because they are difficult and costly to get rid of. Old tires also serve as breeding grounds for mosquitos and pose fire hazards. All the tires collected on Nov. 12 will be sent to a facility that will process and recycle them into new products, such as playground resurfacing material.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) recently launched a new state program to award grants for entrepreneurs looking to expand ways to reuse old tires. Information about the new Scrap Tire Market Development Grant can be found online.
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Kent County)
Kent County has announced that a Project Development Agreement has been approved for an “anchor tenant” at the county’s planned Sustainable Business Park in Kent County’s Byron Township, southeast of Byron Center, with the Department of Public Works set to “work with” Continuus Materials and Anaergia on “developing landfill alternative” businesses.
According to a Monday, March 7, statement, late last week the Kent County Board of Public Works approved a Project Development Agreement (PDA) with Kent County Bioenergy Facility, a joint venture between Continuus Materials and Anaergia, and the agreement is now fully executed.
The two companies partnered on a response to a Request for Proposals from Kent County for an “anchor tenant” at the Sustainable Business Park which is planned for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Township.
Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, (center in yellow vest) discusses the proposed Kent County Sustainable Business Park in Byron Center with Liesl Eichler Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, (Center in orange vest) on a tour in October 2021. (Kent County)
According to the announcement, the PDA is the next step in developing a “multi-faceted mixed waste processing facility capable of handling 430,000 tons of municipal solid waste and recyclables each year to produce renewable natural gas, fertilizer, and recyclable commodities.”
Anaergia has a “proven track record” on four continents of turning organic waste into renewable natural gas and fertilizer using high efficiency anaerobic digestion, according to the announcement. Continuus Materials will produce a roof coverboard material, called Everboard, on site from low value plastics and paper. The plan calls for other recycling and waste processing companies to locate around the anchor tenant at the future Sustainable Business Park.
“We are excited to take the next step in a public-private partnership to help us achieve our goal of diverting 90 percent of trash from the South Kent Landfill by 2030,” Emily Brieve, chair of the Kent County Board of Public Works, said in supplied material/ “Approving the PDA is the culmination of several years of evaluation and due- diligence to find the right company that was a good fit for our community with proven technology. Now the real work begins to nail down costs, schedules and site plans.”
The PDA will guide the DPW and Kent County Bioenergy Facility over the next 18 to 36 months until the project can be fully contracted and financed. If all goes as planned, the facility could be up and running in about three years. The PDA process will also include “continued stakeholder involvement” in the project and to develop supporting policy.
The plan currently calls for Kent County to make a $70 million investment through a bond that would be repaid by tipping fees and shared revenue from materials produced at the park.
What can and cannot be recycled in Kent County, and how do it. And what happens to everything else? WKTV Journal, working with Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman, are working to look at specific consumer products and other items and give you the answers.
In this post, we look at that soft plastic tooth paste tube and cap. Does the tube need to be cleaned — can it actually be cleaned? Or is it medical waste? And the cap; hard plastic but is it too small? Here is the lowdown from an expert:
The toothpaste tube and cap are both trash. Even though both the tube and the cap are plastic, neither are able to be recycled at the Kent County Recycling Center. Here’s why:
The toothpaste tube is considered a soft, non-rigid plastic. The Kent County Recycling Center only accepts rigid plastics because soft plastics will not process correctly through the sorting machinery at the facility. The toothpaste cap is considered a rigid plastic but is still not recyclable because of its size. Items that are smaller than about 2 inches by 2 inches will also not process correctly at the Kent County Recycling Center.
Do you have a question about a specific consumer product or other item? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org. Please send a photo of the product and the recycling label if available.
The opening of the Kent County Department of Public Works’ Grand Rapids administrative offices, including a SafeChem Swap Shop, on Wealthy Street Jan. 6. Addressing the crowd were, from left at podium, were Cynthia Janes, vice-chair of the Board of Public Works; Emily Brieve, Kent County commissioner; and Dar Baas, DPW director. (Supplied)
Operating by the often-used “3-Rs” recycling slogan of “reduce, reuse, recycle”, Kent County Department of Public Works opened its new Grand Rapids administrative offices on Wealthy Street Jan. 6 — a facility that also includes a soon-to-open recycling center, an education center, an electronics drop-off station and not only a SafeChem drop-of station but also a “SafeChem Swap Shop”.
Maybe it should be 4-Rs, with “reimagine” added to the slogan.
Continuing its efforts exemplified by its slogan “Reimagine Trash”, with the county’s Department of Public Works (DPW) website actually being reimaginetrash.org, Kent County officials and DPW leaders held a facility ribbon cutting Jan. 6 to officially open the facility, with its returning and new offerings.
“The new administration center brings our team together and makes it easier for the community to connect with our department and services,” Dar Baas, DPW director, said in supplied material. “The facilities are designed to foster collaboration.”
And that collaboration is exemplified by the new dual SafeChem operations.
The Kent County Department of Public Works SafeChem Swap Shop includes dropped off cleaning chemicals still good for use — and free pickup by the community. (Supplied)
“The SafeChem Drop-off station and Swap Shop are a real asset for our community,” Baas said. “Not only do they keep hazardous materials out of area landfills and the environment, they also provide people free products to avoid them being discarded in the first place.”
The “drop and shop” operation is offered all five of the county-managed chemical drop-off locations, including ones in the Kentwood and Wyoming area.
The Wealthy Street Recycling and Administration Center located at 1045 Wealthy St. SW, adjacent to the Recycling and Education Facility, the SafeChem Drop-off station, SafeChem Swap Shop and electronics recycling services. The DPW offices were previously co-located with the Kent County Road Commission on Scribner Avenue and the property was sold in 2021.
All of Kent County’s SafeChem stations — there are several, with varying days and hours, including one each in the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming — allow residents to drop off household waste like cleaners, garden or garage products. The Wealthy Street location also includes a Swap Shop where products that are in good condition can be offered at no cost.
(The reopening the residential recycling drop-off station on Wealthy Street, which has been closed during construction, will be announced soon on reimaginetrash.org, according to a DPQ statement.)
For more information on the DPW’s SafeChem program, visit here.
Also opening last week, on Jan. 8, at the Wealthy Street location, was its electronics drop-off station, planned to be open for drop-off during the same year-round operational hours as our SafeChem household hazardous waste drop-off and SafeChem Swap Shop. (For more information on the list of electronics accepted for recycling at DPW facilities, as well as other local electronics recycling locations, visit here.)
Kentwood, Wyoming, Byron SafeChem site information
According to the Kent County DPW website, the Kentwood location is 5068 Breton SE, Kentwood, with days and hours November-March, Tuesdays, 2:30-4:30 p.m., and April-October, Tuesdays, 1:30-5:30 p.m.
The Kent County Department of Public Works SafeChem Swap Shop includes dropped off automotive chemicals still good for use — and free pickup by the community. (Supplied)
The Kentwood SafeChem site remained open after the closure of the city’s satellite recycling-drop off.
“A special thank you to City of Kentwood for their partnership,” the DPW website states. “We’re grateful to the City of Kentwood for hosting this SafeChem collection site.”
The Wyoming area location is 2350 Ivanrest Ave. SW, Grandville, with it open Mondays, 1-3 p.m., and Thursdays 7-9 a.m.
“A special thank you to City of Wyoming for their partnership,” the DPW website states. “We’re grateful to the City of Wyoming for not only hosting this SafeChem collection site but for staffing the SafeChem collections.”
The Byron Center location is 10300 South Kent Dr. SW, with its days and hours being November-March, Mondays, 8:30-10:30 a.m., and April-October, Mondays, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
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.
"May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility." - Author Mary Anne Radmacher
Kentwood resident Cecilia Nguyen (far left holding the nutcracker) stars as Clara in the Grand Rapids Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.”
Tiny Dancer
There is still time to catch Kentwood resident Cecilia Nguyen in the role of Clara at the Grand Rapids Ballet’s presentation of “The Nutcracker.” The show runs through Sunday, Dec. 23 at the DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. NW. The production features the world-famous design of Chris Van Allsburg (“The Polar Express,” “Jumanji,”) Broadway-quality sets by Tony Award winner Eugene Lee (“Wicked,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Saturday Night Live”), festive choreography by Val Caniparoli, and live music from the Grand Rapids Symphony. For tickets, visit grballet.com.
The Santa’s Rocket Express is now on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Holiday Memories
Remember those days of yore when you and your family visited the Herpolsheimer and rode the Santa’s Rocket Express? The Grand Rapids Public Museum has the train on display for the holidays. Speaking of the Public Museum, the organization will be hosting its Snowflake Break activities again this year centered around two exhibits: “Expedition: Dinosaur” and “TOYS!” Or take a trip down memory lane to the mall, where many people will be this weekend, as WKTV takes a look at how malls in America not only changed shopping habits, but holiday traditions as well.
The Ford Airport has a few tips for those flying home, or just traveling, over the holidays.
According to Stafford University, Americans throw away about 25 percent more extra trash during the holidays with the extra trash being about 25 million tons of garbage. Want to help reduce that? The Kent County Department of Public Works has a few suggestions.
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 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.
Twenty-eight schools across Kent County have been awarded with Michigan Green School certification in anticipation of Earth Day, celebrated April 22 each year. The schools participated in activities to learn about environmental topics, act on what they learned by doing service projects and share what they learned through outreach to their community and peers.
After completing a list of activities covering topics like recycling, energy, environmental protection, or other environmental actions that suited the interests of the students, the schools submitted their applications to their Green Schools Coordinator, Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman. To be considered a Michigan Green School, an achievement recognized by Governor Snyder and the Michigan Legislature through Public Act 301 of 2010, schools completed ten to twenty different activities relating to environmental studies. Based on the number of activities they complete, the schools are eligible for three different levels of Green School certification: Green, Emerald or, the top award, Evergreen.
“These twenty-eight schools brought sustainability conversations into the classroom in really creative ways,” said Westerman. “From writing letters to President Trump to implementing a school uniform reuse room to adopting endangered species and taking a field trip to the Kent County Recycling Center, these schools have really invested me and energy into teaching the value of sustainability.”
Schools that achieved Michigan Green School certification from Kent County include:
Evergreen School (completed at least 20 activities)
Ada Vista Elementary, Ada
Cherry Creek Elementary, Lowell
City High Middle School and the Center for Economicology, Grand Rapids Emmons Lake Elementary, Caledonia
Grandville High School, Grandville
Highlands Middle School, Grand Rapids
Holy Trinity Catholic School, Comstock Park
Ke le Lake Elementary, Alto
New Branches Charter Academy, Grand Rapids
Northview Crossroads Middle School, Grand Rapids
Parkside Elementary, Rockford
Emerald School (completed at least 15 activities)
CA Frost Elementary Environmental Science Academy, Grand Rapids Congress Elementary, Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Montessori Public School, Grand Rapids
Grand View Elementary, Grandville
Meadow Brook Elementary, Grand Rapids
Murray Lake Elementary, Lowell
West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science, Grand Rapids
Green School (completed at least 10 ac vi es)
Bushnell Elementary, Lowell
Caledonia Elementary, Caledonia
Cedar Springs High School, Cedar Springs Cedar Springs Middle School, Cedar Springs Dutton Elementary, Caledonia
Forest Hills Central Middle School, Ada Forest Hills Eastern Middle School, Ada
Lee Elementary, Middleville
Lowell High School, Lowell
Paris Ridge Elementary, Caledonia
Kent County Department of Public Works is the local county coordinator for the statewide Michigan Green Schools program, a non-pro t agency dedicated to assisting all Michigan schools to achieve environmental goals including protecting air, land, water and animals through good ecological practices and the teaching of environmental stewardship. The program started in 2005 as an idea of students and teachers at a school in Howell, Michigan and has grown to include more than 650 Michigan schools in 2016.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) requested that the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) evaluate and test groundwater from up to 46 properties along Belmont Avenue and Montana Trail to the west, and along House Street, House Court, Crestview and Roguewood Drives south of the North Kent Landfill for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These homes were not previously within a Wolverine World Wide test zone. DPW agreed to do this testing after staff became aware of the then-legal disposal of waste that likely contained or was treated with PFAS and PFOS in the 1980s. The samples were collected for testing in February 2018. Test results show 11 of the 41 homes tested had detectable levels of PFAS. Concentrations of PFAS in all eleven homes fell below the MDEQ and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt); the highest registered at 58.6 ppt. Thirty homes had no detectable PFAS. The results of testing did not suggest a specific source of contamination, as some of the homes that had detections were not adjacent to the North Kent Landfill, and some properties which were immediately adjacent to the landfill had no detectable PFAS.
“While the levels are lower than the health advisory for drinking water, we are still concerned for the eleven homes where PFAS was detected,” said Dar Baas, Director of the Department of Public Works. “It is difficult at this time to determine where the contamination is coming from, but we want to act in the best interest of our neighbors. We are taking immediate steps to purchase and install whole house filters in eleven houses where PFAS was detected in the water as a precautionary measure.”
DPW began discussions with the MDEQ in November 2017 regarding tannery waste disposed at the North Kent (Ten Mile) Landfill in the 1980s. Disposal of Wolverine Worldwide waste at the County landfill site was in compliance with State and Federal regulations at the time, and only after the material had been tested and deemed non- hazardous. DPW will continue to work with MDEQ, Plainfield Charter Township, Algoma Township, and our neighbors to determine if the detected PFAS is coming from materials disposed of in the North Kent Landfill or from another source, as well as what steps might need to be taken to remedy the issue.
Field work is now complete on the expansion of the methane gas collection system at the closed Kentwood Landfill. Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) installed eighteen new gas wells to extract the methane gas from the western edge of the landfill. Eight additional wells were installed to provide access for continued routine monitoring of the site.
During routine monitoring in fall of 2016, the DPW discovered methane gas migrating outside the solid waste boundaries of the Kentwood Landfill causing potential for methane gas intrusion into nearby City of Kentwood buildings and neighboring residences. Kent County DPW organized a project team and worked alongside the City of Kentwood, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and engineering consultants to design a second methane extraction system.
In fall 2017, after extensive investigation and continued monitoring, DPW moved forward with the installation of eighteen new gas wells between 15 and 106 feet deep and added eight monitoring wells. On Dec. 27, a new flare system was activated and is now extracting methane gas along the western boundary of the landfill where methane was found to be migrating. DPW will monitor the newly installed system and will continue to routinely test onsite and off site monitoring wells indefinitely.
“Work at the site progressed as expected and the new flare is now activated,” said Molly Sherwood, Environmental Compliance Manager at Kent County DPW. “Our project team is confident that this expansion will serve the site well to control the methane that is migrating outside the boundaries of the landfill.”
Kent County DPW continues to offer no-cost, third-party methane testing for the 150 residences within 1500 feet of the landfill’s western boundary. To date, voluntary testing in nine residences and weekly monitoring of City of Kentwood facilities has shown no methane vapor intrusion into building structures.
The cost of this new extraction system was roughly $1 million with funding provided through the Kent County Solid Waste Surcharge.
Dar Baas, Director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, visits the set of WKTV Journal: In Focus. (WKTV)
WKTV Staff
news@wktv.org
On the latest episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus”, WKTV’s public affairs show, we bring to the public a discussion with the Kent County official leading methane mitigation efforts at the closed Kentwood landfill — and the free testing available to property owners around the site. And, in the second in a series of interviews with Wyoming’s new city councilors, WKTV’s Ken Norris also talks with Rob Postema on his first few months on the job.
The new episode will air twice a week on WKTV channels starting this week and running through Sept. 22. Along with all episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus, the new interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVVideos.
In the interview with Darwin J. “Dar” Baas, Director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, he told WKTV that while about 150 property owners within 1,500-feet of the landfill’s western boundary are eligible for free on-site testing for methane, so far, only eight of the property owners have had their homes tested.
“We coordinate it, and then a local engineering firm — Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber — they actually come in and do the testing,” Baas said. “They have a form and a system that they use. Takes about an hour. It is very non-intrusive. For those that have had the testing done, they have been very pleased with how quickly we are in and out. And how well it goes.”
At the time of the interview, none of the tests had come back positive. The county is the point agency on the closed Kentwood landfill and methane mitigation efforts. Recently, the county announced expanded mitigation efforts.
In the interview with Postema, he talked about his long history in the city, including a stint as a member of the city’s planning commission.
Wyoming City Councilor Rob Postema. (WKTV)
“Planning commission is a good lead-in to being on city council,” he said. “You get involved with meeting with a lot of the citizens, at some of the public meetings, and you really get a good feel for how city government works. … But what you are really not prepared for is some of the other issues that they deal with, the non-zoning issues. I’ve had a great experience, so far, everybody views city council as ‘Its a team’.”
Postema, who was elected last year to represent the City’s Third Ward, grew up in Wyoming, attended Lee and South Christian high schools, graduated from Calvin College, and now works with his father and brother at an architectural and engineering firm in the city.
“WKTV Journal: In Focus” will started airing on Tuesday, Sept. 12, and will air on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 6:30 p.m., on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.
A warning sign on a fence surrounding the inactive, but methane producing, Kentwood Landfill. A city building is shown in background. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
by K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
As part of its continuing efforts to test for and mitigate methane migration outside the boundaries of the inactive Kentwood landfill site, the Kent County Department of Public Works beginning this month will place additional gas monitoring probes as well as a second “flare” — a system to burn off escaping methane gas.
About 150 property owners within 1,500-feet of the landfill’s western boundary are being notified of the expansion of the county’s efforts, which will start later this month and should be complete in early October. Property owners will also be reminded of free on-site testing for methane continues to be available. So far, only eight of the property owners have had their homes tested.
“Testing has consistently shown that the methane is not entering the (city or residential) buildings,” Dar Baas, Kent County DPW Director, said in a supplied statement. “Public safety continues to be our priority and we will continue monitoring for methane indefinitely.”
The 72-acre municipal landfill site was closed in 1976. It continues to be designated a federal Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) Superfund site. It is bordered by the City of Kentwood City Center, library, and the City of Kentwood Public Works facility to the west; the City of Kentwood Justice Center to the northwest; and Plaster Creek and open ravine areas to the north, east and south.
Since August 2016, Kent County and City of Kentwood have been monitoring the air quality inside the city buildings on the west side of the landfill.
One of the landfill monitor wells at the site of the Kentwood Landfill. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
According to the county DWP, methane gas forms naturally in landfills. In 2015, the county DPW had installed a series of collection wells and a flare to contain the methane on-site to limit migration. During routine monitoring in 2016, the county DPW discovered migration of methane gas to the west of the landfill. So, according to the supplied statement, “it was clear that a larger system would be needed.”
“To increase the effectiveness of the existing landfill gas collection system, additional gas collection wells will be installed in nine locations along the west edge of the landfill beginning in August 2017,” the county statement continues. “Seven additional gas monitoring probes will also be installed to the west of the landfill, and a second flare will be installed next to the existing flare southeast of the library.”
Funding for this project and other Kentwood Landfill remediation efforts comes from the Kent County Solid Waste Surcharge. The county has contracted with a third-party firm — Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. — to provide the free residential testing.
For more information on the free on-site methane testing available to property owners, call the Kent County DPW at 616-632-7920. Project updates will be posted to Kent County’s website at accesskent.com/kentwoodlandfill.
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.
