Solid Waste Management
 Solving the Puzzle Video: Managing Solid Waste in Kent County |
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| Kent County Solid Waste Management System Assessment & Proposed Plan Amendments |
Household Waste Guide
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The Kent County Department of Public Works is committed to a fully integrated solid waste management system. This system includes: waste reduction, reuse, recycling, expanded education in resource recovery, incineration with energy recovery, composting and landfilling, as outlined in the Kent County Solid Waste Management Plan and proposed 2011 amendments. The public comment period began on December 19, 2011 and has been extended 90 days until June 15, 2012. The Public Hearing will be held on March 7, 2012 at 7:00 pm in the Road Commission building located at 1500 Scribner Avenue NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.
The current recycling system for refuse disposal in Kent County aims to reduce the amount of solid waste sent for final disposal by volume reduction techniques and by various resource conservation and resource recovery programs. It also addresses collection processes and transportation needs that provide the most cost effective, efficient service.
The Solid Waste Division has the following areas of operation:
- Resource Recovery
The Resource Recovery Program promotes the extraction and reutilization of materials or energy from the solid waste stream. Recycling and composting reduce the amount of waste going to disposal sites.
- Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program is designed to provide Kent County residents with an environmentally acceptable means of disposal for hazardous household products.
- Materials Recycling Facility (MRF)
The Materials Recycling Facility (MRF, pronounced murf) is an intermediate processing facility designed to accept residential recyclable materials. These materials are delivered to the facility by providers of curbside recycling services and from the county drop-off sites.
- Waste to Energy Facility
The Waste to Energy (WTE) facility incinerates non-hazardous solid wastes from municipal and commercial operations, generating up to 16 megawatts of electricity.
- Landfill and Transfer Station Operations
The North Kent Transfer and Recycling Station receives solid waste from waste haulers and individuals and transports it a landfill. The South Kent Landfill receives municipal solid waste from waste haulers and individuals and incinerator ash from the WTE Facility.
Refuse collection activities within Kent County are handled by a combination of public and private haulers. The metropolitan cities of Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Grandville, Walker and Wyoming require all private waste haulers to be licensed within that city.
The rate structure for the collection services is usually based on a flat monthly fee for those individuals and businesses that contract with a private waste hauler. Refuse collection is available to all homes, businesses, industries and institutions within Kent County. All communities except the City of Grand Rapids have delegated all collection to private waste haulers.
