GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County recycling center is closed due to "structural damage," the county said on Monday.
In a release, the Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) announced all tours and education programming at the Kent County Recycling and Education Center would be canceled indefinitely. The center will be closed temporarily, but the DPW did not give an indication as to when the center might re-open.
The DPW did confirm the closure was prompted by an incident on Monday afternoon, saying bales of cardboard recycling built up and pushed through the building's sidewall, damaging the exterior wall as well as a support beam.
No one was injured, says the DPW.
The incident is under administrative review, however, and the cause is being investigated.
“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.”
In the meantime, structural engineers evaluated the damages at the REC and made plans for repairs.
The Kent County Recycling and Education Center, which is on Wealthy Street near downtown Grand Rapids, is the primary materials recovery facility for residential recyclables. All incoming recyclables will be sent to the county's Waste-to-Energy facility until the REC is up and running again.
