The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) has released its annual fall recycling guide, which shows residents how to properly dispose of common household items.
The fall recycling guide highlights items that are commonly used in the fall – like disposable coffee cups, soup cartons, jugs, foil and cans – that can be recycled, but are often thrown away and are placed in a landfill. It also shows items that are not recyclable but can still be disposed of in a way that avoids landfilling.
“Each year we are proud to help Kent County residents take steps to reduce their landfill waste with the Fall Recycling Guide,” said Dar Baas, director of the DPW. “We can all do our part to protect our land, air and water and have more sustainable fall season for the benefit of our whole community.”
(Courtesy, pxhere.com)
Online waste disposal resources
The DPW’s recycling guides are a helpful tool for Kent County residents to learn how to do their part to reduce landfill waste.
Beyond common fall items, the DPW has an online Recycling & Waste Directory that allows users to search virtually any item and find ways to dispose of it through donation, composting or the safe disposal of hazardous waste.
The Kent County DPW provides municipal solid waste disposal services to ensure the effective removal, storage and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste through various facilities and programs, including Waste-to-Energy, the Recycling and Education Center, North Kent Transfer Station and South Kent Landfill.
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.
The City of Kentwood will offer holiday tree and string light recycling services to residents this winter at the Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton Ave. SE.
Residents may bring holiday trees to the recycling site Dec. 27 through Jan. 31 between 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. The drop-off site will be closed Jan. 1-2 for the New Year’s holiday and Jan. 15 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when City offices will be closed.
String lights drop-off box open now through Jan. 31
A drop-off box for string lights is located near the front doors of the Public Works building now through Jan. 31.
“We are proud to provide residents with a convenient and environmentally friendly way to clean up after the holidays,” said Chad Griffin, Department of Public Works director.
The tree recycling site is available to Kentwood residents only, and proof of residency is required. All decorations, lights, wires and other non-natural materials must be removed from the trees in advance.
For more information about the Department of Public Works and its other seasonal services, visit kentwood.us/DPW.
The state of Michigan has allocated another $5 million to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to help with the development of the Sustainable Business Park in Kent County that will create jobs and increase recycling.
The budget allocation will support site infrastructure at the Sustainable Business Park and follows an initial $4 million state investment for the project in 2022. Last month, the Michigan Public Service Commission also granted a $5 million Low Carbon Energy Infrastructure Enhancement and Development grant for the Kent County Bioenergy Facility, the anchor tenant at the Sustainable Business Park.
The Kent County Bioenergy Facility represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for West Michigan and the state to drastically increase recycling, reduce dependence on landfills, and create local jobs. The facility is a public-private partnership between the Department of Public Works and Anaergia. The Sustainable Business Park, planned for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center pending approval by the Kent County Board of Commissioners, will be built on land that was initially purchased by Kent County to create a new landfill.
(Courtesy, pxhere.com)
“For too long, Michigan has been a dumping ground for trash and the Sustainable Business Park will help change that by increasing recycling and boosting our energy independence starting right here in Kent County,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County DPW. “We are thankful the state of Michigan recognizes the importance of reducing our dependence on landfilling so we can help protect our land, air and water, including our Great Lakes.”
The Kent County Bioenergy Facility is a mixed waste processing facility that will process up to 600,000 tons per year of municipal solid waste and 175,000 tons per year of organic waste to produce natural gas and fertilizer. The facility and greater Sustainable Business Park will help Kent County achieve its goal of diverting 90% of trash from landfills by 2030.
“Sustainable materials management is essential to Michigan growing a vibrant circular economy that puts Michiganders to work making new products from the materials residents take to their curb each week,” said EGLE Public Information Officer Jeff Johnston. “EGLE is eager to support projects that align with the State of Michigan’s new materials management plan to increase recycling, conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
State Rep. Rachel Hood (D-Grand Rapids) said, “Kent County’s Sustainable Business Park will define the future for waste management in Michigan and boost the viability of circular economy concepts.”
The new facility will also reduce Kent County’s reliance on landfilling municipal solid waste, meaning resources will not be spent constructing, maintaining, and monitoring additional landfills.
“Building the facility in Kent County will put West Michigan on the map as a national leader in recycling and reducing waste, as well as create jobs and investment from companies that can join the Sustainable Business Park and convert waste into usable products,” Bass said.
The Kent County Development of Public Works provides municipal solid waste disposal services to ensure the effective removal, storage and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste through various facilities and programs, including Waste-to-Energy, the Recycling and Education Center, North Kent Transfer Station, and South Kent Landfill.
By KatelynKikstra Kent County Department of Public Works
While batteries of any type should never go in your recycling cart or any recycling drop-off station, but what you should do with them instead oftentimes is not clear. Batteries can really trip folks up because the type of battery ultimately determines what we need to do with them. Read below to match what kind of battery/batteries you have to figure out your next actions.
Alkaline batteries
Alkaline batteries are typically the cell batteries (EX: AA, AAA, etc.) that are commonly used in a lot of household items, like toys, flash lights, radios, etc. Alkaline batteries are cell batteries that ARE NOT rechargeable.
Alkaline batteries should be taped on the ends and then placed into the trash. (Pxhere.com)
Alkaline batteries used to contain mercury, qualifying them as hazardous waste, so they would have been accepted through a household hazardous waste program for a really long time. However, around the mid- to late-90s, manufacturers changed how they made alkaline batteries (to no longer contain mercury) so these types of batteries no longer qualify as hazardous waste and cannot go to a hazardous waste program. Once taped on the ends/terminals, these batteries are OK to go in the trash because they are no longer hazardous.
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of places that recycle them as the process is tedious and expensive. We do not know of any alkaline battery recyclers in Kent County. Instead, we encourage folks to use up their supply of alkaline batteries and make the transition to a rechargeable/reusable type of battery if possible.
These batteries should do contain hazardous materials and should be taken to a SafeChem location. (Pxhere.com)
All other batteries
“All other batteries” is a broad category but it includes (from left to right): button batteries, laptop/cellphone/electronics batteries, drill/weed trimmer/leaf blower batteries, lithium ion/cadmium batteries, auto/marine/ATV batteries, and RECHARGEABLE cell batteries (EX: AA, AAA, etc).
All of these batteries should never go in your trash, recycling bin or into any of our single-stream/mixed recycling drop-off stations as they contain hazardous materials and could easily start a fire at the recycling center, landfill or a garbage truck.
The City of Kentwood will offer its annual Community Cleanup Day on Saturday, May 6 to help residents “spring clean” their homes and yards.
Residents can drop off yard waste, trash and general debris for disposal and electronics for recycling from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton Ave. SE.
After the cleanup event, the City’s brush and leaf drop-off site, also located at Kentwood’s Public Works facility, will remain open through Saturday, May 26. Hours of operation for the drop-off site are noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
“Our Community Cleanup Day brings free collection services for a variety of items to one convenient location, helping residents expedite their spring-cleaning efforts,” said Chad Griffin, Department of Public Works director. “We encourage residents who are decluttering their homes and properties to join us.”
The cleanup day and brush/leaf drop-off service are available to Kentwood residents only. Anyone wishing to participate is asked to enter the drive off Breton Avenue, where staff will check ID for residency and direct traffic flow.
GFL Environmental will be on-site for Kentwood’s Community Cleanup Day to accept general debris and trash, including mattresses, for disposal. Tires cannot be accepted.
The City of Kentwood will be collecting electronic waste to recycle. Electronic waste includes items such as mobile phones, computers and fax machines. Smoke alarms are not accepted for recycling, but can be disposed of at the event.
The City of Kentwood will accept yard waste at the brush drop-off site, including brush, sticks, tree limbs and logs as well as leaves and grass clippings. Leaves should be loose when dropped off, not left in bags.
Items for donation and household hazardous materials will not be accepted during this year’s cleanup event. Residents looking to safely dispose of household hazardous materials may utilize the Kent County Department of Public Works’ SafeChem program, which remains available to residents at the Kentwood Public Works facility from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays.
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma WKTV Managing Editor joanne@wktv.org
The Kent County Recycling and Education Center is temporarily closed due to structural damage. (Courtesy, Kent County)
UPDATE: The Kent County Recycling and Education Center will reopen on Friday, March 24.
TheKent County Recycling and Education Center (REC), located at 977 Wealthy St. SW, is temporarily closed after an incident caused structural damage to the building on Monday afternoon. The damage occurred when bales of cardboard recycling built up and pushed through the building’s sidewall, damaging the exterior wall and a roof support beam. No one was injured and the incident is under administrative review to further understand the cause.
According to Steve Faber, public relations for the Kent County Department of Public Works, there have been structural engineers out looking at the facility last night and today. The engineers are assessing the extent of the damage and putting a plan in place for repairs.
“They will give us the plan on how things can be shored up and hopefully we will be back in operation soon,” Faber said, adding the ultimate goal is to have the facility up and running again as soon as possible..
For today, items coming to the recycling facility will be sent to the county’s Waste-to-Energy Facility, which serves as a back-up when the recycling has to close, Faber said. All tours and education programming at the REC are postponed indefinitely.
Residents wishing to make sure their recyclables head to the recycling facility are encouraged to hang on to items until next week, Faber said.
“The health and safety of our employees and customers is our number one priority,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works. “We’re gathering a full assessment of the damage and will only reopen once repairs are made, and we know it’s safe for workers and visitors to enter.”
Kent County’s REC serves as the primary materials recovery facility for residential recyclables generated throughout West Michigan.
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.
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.
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 to give you the answers.
In this post, we look at those sometimes expensive, but sometimes worth the cost, bottles of liquor. When the bottle is a dead solider, it’s glass, so that is easy. Or is it? But what about that tube it comes in, part cardboard and part metal? Here is the lowdown from an expert:
The empty and rinsed glass bottle can be placed into your commingled, single-stream curbside recycling cart. The old glass bottle will head to the Recycling Center and then off to a glass recycling facility where it may become a new glass container, fiberglass, highway beads, glass abrasives, or other specialty glass items like recycled glass countertops.
Laphroaig Scotch bottle cardboard and metal tube. (Laphroaig)
The tube that the bottle came in cannot be recycled unless you disassemble it first. Separate the metal base and metal top from the cardboard tube. Once these three are successfully separated, they may go into the curbside recycling cart. Once at the Recycling Center, the cardboard tube will be sorted with other cardboard and head off to a paper mill to become another box, tube, or similar product. The metal base and top will go to a metal processing facility and be made into metal containers, cans, or other metal products.
The cork and wrapper cannot be recycled through curbside recycling in Kent County. Both can be placed in the garbage.
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 start of 2022 has the City of Wyoming seeing growth in both the manufacturing and residential fronts.
Padnos plans to expand into recycling of ocean-bound plastics. (pxhere.com)
Earlier this month, industrial recycling and scrap management company Padnos announced it would expand its operations in the City of Wyoming, creating up to 50 jobs. The company operates a plant at 500 44th St. SW, in Wyoming.
The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $6.6 million. It i supported by a $250,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant, according to a press release from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with focus on Michigan’s economy. Also supporting the project is The Right Place, which has offered staff time and resources for the project.
“Padnos is proud to further our investment in the community while increasing our process capabilities to meet market demands. We are seeing an increase in demand for recycled material and we are committed to working with our partners to get these materials back into new products and keeping them out of our landfills and oceans,” said Jonathan Padnos President and CEO Jonathan Padnos in a written release.
Padnos, founded in 1905 in the City of Holland, has been transforming scrap into reusable resources for more than 100 years. The company recycles metals, paper, plastics, and electronics and currently has more than 725 team members in facilities located in Michigan and Indiana.
The expansion at the Wyoming facility will focus on the company’s effort to increase its capabilities into recycling ocean-bound plastics. Padnos will add new loading docks, a laboratory, and a maintenance garage to the Wyoming facility. It will also invest in electrical and infrastructure upgrades.
The project will bring immediate jobs to residents in the area and cement the 100-year-old company’s presence in Michigan. Padnos is committed to work with underserved communities and provides training to individuals returning from incarceration, providing them with the skills needed to be successful in the workforce.
Orion Construction plans to complete The Reserve Flats project by the fall of this year. (supplied)
Construction continues in the City of Wyoming with The Granger Group announcing it has welcomed its first tenets to the multifamily development, The Reserve Flats.
Located on Wilson Avenue, half-mile north of M-6, the 138-unit community is being built by Grand Rapids-based contractor Orion Constriction and features 26 condo-style apartments ranging from three- to eight-unit buildings. Spread over 22 acres, the project is being constructed in three phases, the first phase delivering 15 units with two- and three-bedroom floor plans.
“Granger is focused on building strong, vibrant communities and The Reserve is another example of the level of quality we expect to deliver in the communities we invest in together,” said Jason Granger, who oversees strategic investment initiatives for Granger, in a written release.
While referencing Kent County’s 2021 study that projects a nearly 9,000-unit deficit to be filled by 2025, Granger said, “We set out to build a development that provides quality housing options for the City of Wyoming while also serving a greater Grand Rapids area that desperately needs additional housing now more than ever.”
Units at The Flats range from 1,400 to 1,700 square feet. Each unit has a two-car attached garage along with a dedicated driveway and a covered porch at the main entrance.
Orion Construction broke ground on the projects first phase in August 2021. The company has seven buildings and 32 units enclosed as they continue to work through the winter elements. The project is scheduled to be completed by fall of this year.
Any unclaimed bottle deposits are used to clean up and develop polluted areas in the state and educate the public about pollution prevention. (Pxhere.com)
LANSING – Some state lawmakers and environmental advocates want to create a hotline to stop retailers from fraudulently cashing in on Michigan’s bottle deposit law.
Bottle bill fraud takes deposit money away from state pollution prevention and cleanup programs.
The effort isn’t to stop the kind of scam immortalized in a 1996 “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer and Newman trucked empty cans and bottles from New York to Michigan for the higher deposit redemption.
New technology that scans barcodes makes it much harder to redeem cans from out of state, according to Conan Smith, the president and CEO of the Michigan Environmental Council.
Instead, the recently introduced Senate bill would focus on reporting large violations, mostly by retailers who buy beverages out of state and sell to Michigan residents, Smith said.
“This is actually oriented at two major systemic problems we’ve been experiencing with the bottle bill,” Smith said.
First, the state has a problem of retailers buying bottles and cans in Ohio, where there is no bottle deposit. Then they sell the beverages in Michigan, often to gas stations, where the consumer still pays the cost of the beverages plus the deposit.
“You as a consumer are charged the 10 cent bottle deposit, but you’re not able to return that can because it’s not a Michigan can,” Smith said. “You get screwed out of 10 cents, and these fraudulent sellers pocket your dime.”
Smith said these dimes could amount to tens of thousands of dollars per year in deposit costs for consumers.
Most automated return machines won’t accept out-of-state cans. If a consumer is able to return an out-of-state can to a retailer that hand checks them, some cases of fraud are not intentional.
Many people who try to redeem their containers from out of state don’t even know it’s illegal, said Matt Fletcher, a recycling market development specialist for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
“I’ve gotten calls from Boy Scout troops in Illinois saying ‘We’ve loaded up a U-Haul, and we’re going to drive up to Michigan to get the deposit,’” Fletcher said, “and I have to explain to them that it would be fraud, because the deposit has to be paid to get redeemed.”
Fletcher said the Boy Scouts had been collecting cans all summer for a trip.
“They had $10,000 worth of dimes,” he said.
Any fraud takes away from state unclaimed bottle deposit funds.
It is considered fraud to cash in bottles or cans that are not from Michigan and have the “10 cents MI” stamped on the top. (Pxhere.com)
Those are used to clean up and develop polluted areas in the state and educate the public about pollution prevention, Fletcher said.
“It’s not the consumer’s role to figure out if where they bought it in Michigan is complying with the law,” Fletcher said. “Ultimately the main environmental impact of fraudulently redeeming containers would be that it weakens the system and takes away unclaimed deposit funds that are used for benefits in Michigan.”
The addition of a hotline could reduce instances of fraud, Smith said.
“If a can doesn’t say ‘Michigan 10 cents,’ you need to have somewhere you can report that so that the bottle bill can be enforced,” he said.
Smith said another violation comes from retailers throughout the state that still haven’t opened up their bottle return facilities.
“They shut them down during COVID, which was totally reasonable,” Smith said, “But they’ve since failed to reopen those facilities, despite the fact that the rest of their business is back open.
“That means they’re denying you the opportunity to utilize that facility.”
Since October 2020, the return program has been fully re-established.
Businesses are required to have facilities open, and can’t refuse returns or restrict their hours to impact the return of bottles, said the Department of Treasury.
But the total number of violations throughout the state isn’t tracked by Treasury, said Ron Leix, a deputy public information officer for the department.
Smith said the hotline could also be used to report nonoperational facilities.
“We haven’t taken a formal position on the bill yet, but are very supportive in concept,” Smith said. “I want to make sure when we create this hotline that we’re not reporting our neighbor dropping a can in the trash.
“We’re really trying to generate info and intelligence on systemic problems with the implementation of the law,” he said.
As electric vehicle demands grow, one focus of concern is how to make them more environmentally sustainable.
A new project by recycling company Battery Solutions and sustainability-focused group NextEnergy aims to make electric vehicle recycling opportunity recommendations to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy by February 2022.
The project is funded by a $50,000 grant from the state department as part of its NextCycle Michigan initiative.
A major part of the project is to build capacity in the state for repurposing and recycling electric vehicle batteries, said Jim Saber, the president and CEO of Detroit-based NextEnergy.
The six-stage project will involve cataloging, evaluating and analyzing Michigan’s electric vehicle battery supply chain and infrastructure.
The project will also analyze gaps in electric vehicle battery secondary use and recycling opportunities.
“When you identify those areas within the actual chain that are sometimes a challenge, it provides opportunity for Michigan to enhance its foothold within sustainability,” said Danielle Spalding, the director of marketing and communications at Battery Solutions in Wixom.
The downsides to not recycling those batteries are largely environmental, said Thomas Bjarnemark, the president and CEO of Battery Solutions, who said. people don’t want the stuff to be dumped in landfills or contaminate the environment.
Another downside is the reliance on natural resources extracted from the ground, said Matt Flechter, a recycling market development specialist at Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
Recycling and repurposing will be better for the environment and in how people best manage available natural resources, Saber said.
Bjarnemark said that during recycling, batteries are disassembled into components that can be used to manufacture new batteries or be repurposed for other industrial uses.
Other applications involve reuse of the batteries for renewable power or energy sources.
“So even if they don’t go into new battery manufacturing, they can be put to good use,” Bjarnemark said.
The more that people understand the opportunities in the size of regional markets, they can develop circular economy applications, Saber said, “Where we use it locally, we repurpose it locally, and then we recycle or redeploy locally.”
Flechter said recycling is a system that depends on experts using their skills to inform residents and businesses about how, why and where to recycle.
There are many reasons peoplet want to recycle, he said.
“It’s not only an economic issue that moves materials back into manufacturing,” Flechter said. “It’s also an environmental issue where we can reduce greenhouse gases and save energy while supporting the environment and the economy.”
The NextCycle Michigan initiative provides grants that fund ideas and opportunities for recycling.
The partnership between Battery Solutions and NextEnergy strives to do that, he said.
“It’s also really important in that system, that we think about the entire lifecycle of that product,” Flechter said. “Once I’m done with it, who can use it next? And how can partnerships create opportunities for those materials once thought of as waste?”
The election is over, so now what do you do with all those Trump and Biden signs?
Well, you could keep them as a memento or use them in an art project or you could just recycle them.
If you are planning to recycle, there is only one place to recycle corrugated plastic and the metal stands, which is what most election signs are made of, and that is at the Kent County Recycling and Education Center, 977 Wealthy St. SW.
Because the signs and metal stands need to be separated, the county has set up the the election sign recycling site, according to county staff. If the signs are placed in the recycling bins and go into the sorting machines, they may jam up the machines, staff said.
The bins are located in the back parking lot in the big blue barn. There is a bin designed for the corrugated plastic sign part and another bin for the metal stand. The site is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The site will be open through the end of November.
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.
