A proposed $12 million modern recycling center for Kent County will put a new spin on going green by simplifying recycling and saving the county money. With the upgrade to a 54,000-square-foot facility comes new equipment that will introduce single-stream recycling to the region.
Single-stream recycling allows residents to use one container for a variety of materials to be recycled – paper, plastics, glass and tin – instead of having to use separate containers.
"Data shows that when communities go to single stream, the recycling jumps about 20 to 30 percent," says Dennis Kmiecik, director of Kent County's solid waste division. "Right now about 20 percent of Kent County residents recycle and we'd love to see that up to 40 or 50 or 60 percent."
Crews have demolished the former Applied Arts plant, 977 Wealthy SW, and clean up of the contaminated site is underway. Construction begins in about two weeks. The new facility, and the new recycling procedure, will be ready to go in early 2010.
The current recycling center, 322 Bartlett, uses equipment that is about 25 years old and operates with five full-time staff. Each day, some 50 to 75 community service assignees sort the material collected and send it to recyclers.
"Right now we handle 15,000 tons a year working six days a week, 13 hours a day," Kmiecik says. "At the new facility we'll do twice that in eight hours, five days a week with just five to 15 community service people and our five staff."
Design Plus designed the new facility. Rockford Construction is handling construction.
By: Deborah Johnson Wood, development news editor for Rapid Growth Media
Source: Dennis Kmiecik, Kent County