Lenawee County, MI Recycling Programs Collect Tons of Waste

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Lenawee County’s recycling programs through its solid waste department saw much success in 2022. The recycling drop-off site underwent an overhaul. The site’s three compactors were rebuilt and a fourth one was added. The chutes and receptacle openings were modified to deter oversized items from being deposited. The site was closed for 26 days, 25 of which were due to the upgrade project.

The Lenawee County recycling drop-off site (DOS) is at 307 River St. in Adrian. It is the only recycling drop-off site open to all Lenawee County residents. Approximately 1,988 vehicles passed through the DOS each week, or around 284 a day in 2020. A total of 242.42 tons of mixed fiber materials and 171.22 tons of rigid materials were collected at the DOS in 2022. There were 71 loads shipped with no contaminated loads being diverted to the landfill.

The cost of shipping was $18,030 and the cost for processing the material was $30,719. The cost of shipping has doubled for 2023, and the processing cost continues to climb as well.   There is a rebate for corrugated cardboard. This rebate started out in 2022 at $90 per ton, which paid for the processing of fibrous materials. By the end of 2022, the rebate was a negative $5 per ton and a fuel surcharge was tacked on. In January 2022, the county earned $5 per ton to process fibrous materials and by year end, the county was charged $98 per ton.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com