Behind the Scenes of the Kent County, Mich., Recycling and Education Center

It's an exciting time for the Kent County, Mich., Recycling & Education Center, a regional single stream recycling facility that accepts and processes recyclables from various counties. Last year, Custer Inc., a company that designs and builds full interior environments equipped with technology, custom capabilities and unique interior elements, developed an innovative technology solution for the center’s 5,000-square-foot education space. And in November, the center underwent a $1.5 million upgrade, adding new equipment from CP Group to mechanically sort paper cartons and corrugated cardboard.

“Periodic upgrades and equipment modifications like these ensure our recycling facility is up to date with the changing recycling needs of our community,” said Kristen Wieland, communications and marketing manager for the Kent County Department of Public Works, in a statement. “The Kent County Recycling & Education Center allows residents to easily recycle materials through a single stream sorting process, and these equipment additions will allow us to accept even more types of materials and continue delivering high-quality services to the community.”

Last month, Waste360 Senior Editor Mallory Szczepanski attended a behind-the-scenes tour of the education and recycling center, where she got to see firsthand how recyclables dropped off at the center are sorted and processed. In this gallery, you can view a number of interior and exterior photos of the center.