Recycling & Education Center
The primary materials recovery facility for residential recyclables generated in homes throughout West Michigan.
Services Offered
- Sorting & Processing for Drop-off Stations & Curbside Residential Recycling delivered by licensed Waste Haulers
- Residential Single-Stream Recycling Drop-Off Station – Accepted Materials
- Facility Tours
- Teacher resources such as eco-kits, presentations, in classroom activities – Learn More
- Recycling Center Open Hours: Self-Guided Tours – View Schedule
Disposal Fees
Cash, check, or credit card accepted. Additional 3% convenience fee added when using a credit card. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover only.
Residents utilizing recycling drop-off stations are not charged a service fee.
Kent County Department of Public Works reserves the right to accept or reject any waste at any of our facilities.
The recycling tipping 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. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 or visit 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
About
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 recycling drop-off stations 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 DPW has education staff that promote recycling and activities that minimize waste. Resource Recovery Specialists 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.
Location
977 Wealthy SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Mailing Address
Kent County DPW
P.O. Box 2504
Grand Rapids, MI 49501
Phone
(616) 632-7920
Hours
Sorting & Processing:
Monday-Friday
7:30am-5:00pm
Recycling Drop-Off Station:
Monday-Friday
7:30am-4:30pm
Tours
Guided Tours:
Can be requested by appointment only; typically during processing hours on Mondays-Fridays: 8:00am-3:00pm
Book Online
Open Hours – Self-Guided Tours:
Select Days & Times
View Upcoming Open Hours Schedule
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?