Recycling & Education Center
The primary materials recovery facility for residential recyclables generated in homes throughout West Michigan.
About
Mailing Address
Kent County DPW
P.O. Box 2504
Grand Rapids, MI 49501
Location
977 Wealthy SW Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Phone
(616) 632-7920
Hours
DPW Holiday Hours
Sorting & Processing Hours:
Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:00pm
Residential Recycling & Electronics Drop-Off Station Hours:
Monday-Friday: 7:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
(open to the public — residents only; no businesses or schools)
Self-guided Tours:
During Reimagine Trash Open Hours, on Mondays from 1:00pm-5:00pm;
Guided Tours:
Can be requested appointment only; normally on Mondays-Fridays: 8:00am-4:00pm
Services Offered Here
• Curbside Residential Recycling Sorting & Processing for licensed Waste Haulers
• Residential Recycling Drop-Off Station
• Electronics Recycling Drop-Off
No CRT devices or electronics that contain refrigerant/Freon — please click the above link for alternative recycling options.
Kent County’s Recycling & Education Center serves as the primary materials recovery facility for residential recyclables generated in homes throughout West Michigan. A materials recovery facility, or MRF (murf), is a processing facility where recycling from curbside bins and drop-off recycling centers is sorted and prepared to be sold to processors and end-users. Nearly 58 million pounds of recyclables were delivered to the facility in 2017. These materials were put back into our economy as feedstock for new products like cereal boxes, glass bottles, toys, packaging, clothing, park benches and more.
Kent County has education staff that promote recycling and activities that minimize waste. The Resource Recovery Program educate residents about recycling and waste and offer resources that will assist residents in safe disposal options for discards that are mindful of environmental impacts. These staff members also provide tours at the Recycling & Education Center and other solid waste facilities operated by the Kent County Department of Public Works.
What types of things can I place in my recycling bin?
- Step 1: Check with your waste hauler (whoever picks up your recyclables and trash) to see where they deliver the recyclables to be processed
- If they deliver your recyclables to Kent County Recycling Center, you’ll want to follow our rules (see below).
- If they deliver your recyclables to another facility, you’ll want to contact that facility for their recycling rules. Recycling rules may vary place-to-place based on sorting equipment available and downstream processors buying sorted recyclables.
- **NOTE: not all recyclables within Kent County are deliver to Kent County Recycling Center — the waste hauler decides where they deliver their trash and recyclables to.
- Step 2: Below is the most recent version of our Recycling Guide. All recyclables should be clean, empty, and loose (not bagged).
- Step 3: If you have questions about specific items (labels, caps, etc.), be sure to reference the Accepted Materials page for additional information as well as our Waste & Recycling Directory for items that can be reused, can’t be placed in your recycling bin but could still be recycled at a specialty recycler, or responsibly disposed off.
Where do my recyclables go after they are sorted at your facility?
Annual Recycling Reports
2021 Service Fees
Terms of payment: cash, check, or credit card. Additional 3% convenience fee added when using a credit card. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover only.
| By Material | Rate Per Ton |
|---|---|
| Kent County-Generated Recyclables | $65 |
| Non-Kent County-Generated Recyclables | $70 |
| Transfer Trailers | $75 |
| Rejected Loads of recyclable materials | $200 |
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The service fee at the Recycling & Education Center is charged to commercial haulers and those with service contracts who bring bulk recyclables over the scale and deposit them directly on the processing floor. Residents utilizing recycling drop-off stations for small quantities of recyclables are not charged a service fee at this time. To inquire about a service contract at this facility, please call 616.632.7920 and speak to the Recycling Manager. For more information about the cost of recycling, read here. |
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Book A Tour
Come see for yourself how it all works!Did you know that you can visit the Kent County Recycling & Education Center to see recycling happening?