Kent County to construct transfer station for residents, waste haulers

Kent County, Michigan, residents and waste haulers will soon have a safer facility to drop off recycling and waste. 

The Kent County Board of Public Works (DPW) is planning to construct a transfer station in Plainfield Township, Michigan. The board approved a $15.9 million budget for the transfer station and construction is slated to be completed in spring 2024. The DPW has been planning for this expansion for several years and the project will not incur any debt.  

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The current transfer station at that site opened in 1992 and because of population and business growth in northern Kent County needs to be replaced with a larger transfer station facility that will meet recycling and disposal needs. 

“Because the site has become much busier since it opened, and transactions have nearly doubled in the last few years, we are looking forward to a safer and more efficient way for residents and haulers to properly dispose of materials,” says Dar Baas, director of the DPW. “Increasing the ease and safety of waste drop-off will help in our ambitious goal of reducing landfill waste.” 

Kent County’s transfer station is used to hold municipal solid waste before the materials go to their final destination. A larger facility will allow residents and commercial haulers to more easily segregate demolition and construction waste, recycling and bulky items from municipal waste. 

Ultimately, that will allow for more efficiency when repurposing materials and diverting them from a landfill. This falls in line with the DPW’s goal of reducing landfill waste by 90 percent by 2030. The transfer station is part of Kent County’s plans to build a more integrated waste management system, including a proposed future Sustainable Business Park. 

The Kent County Department of Public Works provides municipal solid waste disposal services to ensure the effective removal, storage and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste through various facilities and programs, including waste to energy, a recycling and education center, a transfer station and a landfill.