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Kent County Recycling Center temporarily closes for upgrades

Posted at 7:33 AM, Feb 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-24 08:43:49-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Renovations are underway at the The Kent County Recycling & Education Center,977 Wealthy St. SW in Grand Rapids.

The facility is closed and unable to accept recyclable materials until its new equipment is installed.

The upgrades are to improve efficiency and quality by replacing the mechanical screens used to sort paper.

For city residents like in Grand Rapids, there will still be your normal recycling pick up.

Paper accounts for 70% of the processed material at the Kent County Recycling & Education Center (REC). In 2019, the Kent County REC processed 16,692 tons of paper product, the equivalent of 283,764 trees.

“It’s imperative we make improvements to keep producing a high-quality product in a very competitive domestic market,” said Dar Baas, director of Kent County Department of Public Works.

“We are giving advance notice to ensure residents can get as much of their existing recycling picked up and recycled before the February 24 temporary closure”, said Baas. “We understand this is inconvenient but it’s necessary to ensure we can continue to be a reliable processor of recyclables for the region.”

The center is expected to reopen by March 13.