Curbside Recycling Services

How to Get Started

Residents & Businesses in the City of Grand Rapids

For Kent County residents and businesses in the City of Grand Rapids, curbside recycling is provided by the City through their property taxes to anyone with access to a public street.

Click here to go to the City of Grand Rapid’s Recycling Services sign-up page

Residents & Businesses outside of the City of Grand Rapids

For Kent County residents outside of the City of Grand Rapids, curbside recycling can be provided by a variety of private haulers. Check in with the hauling service that picks-up your curbside trash….chances are they provide recycling services too!

What You Should Know About Curbside Recycling

• Collecting recyclables at the curb or on-site where they’re generated creates the smallest environmental footprint and is the most efficient and effective method of collection.
• Curbside recycling supports more jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industry.
• Residents and businesses can have recycling picked up by hiring a waste hauler.
  • Costs and services for recycling collection vary based on the level of service (weekly/biweekly, bundled with other services, etc.), transportation costs (distance to the sorting and processing facility), and number of customers on your street that are signed up by the same hauler.
    • Kent County Department of Public Works owns and manages Kent County’s recycling and disposal facilities however we do not offer recycling or trash hauling services.
  • Curbside recycling in your area may not be available from all companies but most areas of Kent County are serviced by at least one curbside waste hauler. If you are having difficulty finding a recycling hauler, please contact us so we can help you find one.
  • What you can and can’t put in your curbside recycling bin depends on which sorting and processing facility (recycling center) your hauler brings your recycling to. Ask your recycling hauler where they take your recyclables to be sorted; if they say Kent County Recycling Center, you can find our Recycling Guidelines here

Apartments, Condos, & Multi-Family Complexes

How to get started

• Property managers of apartments, condos, or multi-family living centers should contact their current hauler of their trash services to see if they also offer recycling services for their complex. Most area haulers do offer recycling services!
• Tenants of these properties should let other complex residents know about the opportunity to recycle and divert waste from landfills so that the level of interest/demand for this service can be gauged and you can approach the property manager together with this request.

What You Should Know About Apartment/Condo Recycling

• Offering recycling services at your apartment or condo includes benefits such as:
  • Provides an option for existing tenants and helps attract new tenants — recycling appeals to more environmentally conscious tenants and can set your complex apart.
  • Reduces landfill waste — as more paper, glass, metal cans, cardboard, cartons, and plastic containers make their way into recycling bins, the volume of waste ending up at the landfill decreases.
  • Saves money by reducing dumpster use — fewer pickups means more money in your pocket
  • Keeps your complex cleaner — overflowing, unsightly, and smelly dumpsters turn people away
  • Builds a sense of community — recycling is an easy way for tenants to feel part of their community and that they’re doing their part.
• Residents that live in apartments or condos are often left out of recycling since the decision to have recycling services is given to the property owner/manager and waste haulers have to a completely different hauling truck and bin style for these types of properties.

Recycling Drop-off Stations

How to get started

Choose a recycling drop-off station (below)

Note the drop-off hours and location address and plan accordingly

Collect accepted recyclables in a bin (or bag) — click here to find out what recyclables are accepted at our Recycling Drop-Off Stations. Recyclables are sorted at our single-stream recycling center so there is no need for you to separate any recyclables from each other.

Empty your bin or bag of recyclables (let them loose!) into the designated recycling drop-off portal or containers.

Reuse your bin or bag for next time!

GRAND RAPIDS

Recycling & Education Center

977 Wealthy SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:30pm

Holiday Hours

ROCKFORD

North Kent Recycling & Waste Center

2908 Ten Mile Rd.
Rockford, MI 49341

Mon-Sat 7:30am-5:00pm

Holiday Hours

BYRON CENTER

South Kent Recycling & Waste Center

10300 South Kent Dr.
Byron Center, MI 49315

Mon-Fri: 7:30am – 5:00pm
Sat: 7:30am – 3:30pm

Holiday Hours

Please Note: This location only accepts cardboard.

What You Should Know About Recycling at the Kent County Drop-Off Stations

• Kent County Recycling Drop-Off Stations are available to people who do not have access to recycling where they live (EX: waste haulers do not cover your area or your apartment does not provide the service).
• This service is currently free to all residents — no businesses, farms, or school recycling please.
• Leaving anything outside the containers or putting anything inside that isn’t accepted is considered illegal dumping.
• If you have questions about what is recyclable or need to find out where to recycle something that is not listed as an accepted material, please email us or check the Waste & Recycling Directory.