GRAND RAPIDS—
Dozens of community leaders turned out Friday morning to check out the new Kent County Recycling and Education Center.The facility is a state-of-the-art sorting center that will be able to process more recyclables in less time.
The old system could sort four to six tons of recyclables per hour The new site can sort up to 18 tons of recyclables an hour.
The sorting is done by machinery that uses conveyors, blowers, magnets and shakers which should reduce on injuries to workers. The facility was built using Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) certification guidelines, making it a 'green' building.
The center, also called the Materials Recovery Facility, is also making it easier for residents to recycle. Instead of sorting paper from plastic and metal from glass, all waste can be put into one bin, then brought to the site, where machinery does the sorting for you.
The center is already drawing interest from other communities, from Muskegon to Lansing. "When we decided to update our recycle facility, we decided to update it and go one step further," Art Tanis, Kent County Commissioner and Public Works Chairman, told FOX 17 News. "We're hoping that this will turn into a not only a Kent County recycling facility, but a regional recycling facility. We have the capability."
The old facility processed 15,000 tons per year, six days a week, 13 hours a day. The new plant will process 30,000 tons per year, five days a week, seven hours a day. There is also a glass purification system on site, making the glass more marketable.
The new recycling facility did not cost tax payers a single dollar, according to Commissioner Tanis. "We have spent zero tax dollars on this," he said. "We bonded it for 20 years, and we're looking forward to sales of your products to keep this thing afloat. And from the numbers I've been seeing, we're doing pretty good."
