By Kristen Wieland
Kent County Department of Public Works
The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) announced last week the temporary closure of its Wealthy Street recycling drop-off station and electronics drop-off site. The closure will begin 5 p.m. Friday, March 26 and last through the fall.
The closure is due to the construction of a new Kent County DPW administrative building on the Recycling and Education Center campus. It will not impact the processing of residential recycling delivered to the Recycling & Education Center by commercial recycling haulers or recycling dropped off at the Rockford Recycling Station at the North Kent Recycling & Waste Center.
“We understand this temporary closure may present an inconvenience for some residents using the drop-off station,” said Kent county DPW Director Dar Baas. “We continue to work to improve access to recycling for Kent County residents without curbside recycling where they live.”
Since 2010, the Kent County DPW has operated a recycling drop-off station at the Recycling & Education Center at 977 Wealthy St. SW in Grand Rapids to provide access to recycling for residents who may not have access to recycling services. Residents affected by the closure are encouraged to contact their local waste hauler for services and pricing.
For residents in apartments, condominiums or other multifamily dwellings impacted by the closure, Kent County is offering a partnership program for property managers to begin recycling services with a waste hauler. Contact Kent County DPW at recycle@kentcountymi.gov to inquire about this program.
Kent County DPW has created a list of alternative recycling options while this location is closed. Visit http://www.reimaginetrash.org/wealthystdropoff for alternative recycling options for paper, electronics and other recyclable materials.
Valley City Electronics Recycling works closely with Kent County DPW for electronic recycling and is offering residents the option to drop-off their electronics Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its location on 32nd Street in Kentwood.
“We encourage residents to explore all the options for recycling, including bringing in their electronics so they can be refurbished or properly disposed of by our team,” said Valley City Electronics Recycling General Manager Dave Perry.
Visit reimaginetrash.org for additional information on how and where to properly dispose of materials in Kent County.
