Michigan’s Kent County DPW recycles nearly 30,000 tons in 2025

The Kent County Department of Public Works, Grand Rapids, Michigan, has released its "Annual Recycling & Waste Report," which reveals that residents recycled nearly 30,000 tons, or 66 million pounds, of materials in 2025.

The Kent County DPW provides municipal solid waste disposal services through various facilities and programs, including its Waste-to-Energy facility, the Recycling and Education Center, North Kent Transfer Station and South Kent Landfill.

The report includes material the DPW collected and recycled, as well as material that was dropped off at SafeChem locations, collected by or distributed through the Swap Shop and polystyrene foam processed at the densifier that opened last year.

“At the DPW, we are proud to responsibly process recycling and municipal solid waste to work toward our goal of reducing landfill waste,” says DPW Director Dar Baas. “Our community supported this goal by recycling millions of pounds of materials and using resources provided by the DPW, like our Swap Shop, polystyrene densifier, SafeChem program and more.”

The DPW reports that it collected more than 11,000 tons of mixed paper and more than 7,500 tons of cardboard in 2025. Along with 5,469 tons of glass, 2,300 tons of plastics and more than 1,000 tons of scrap metal and aluminum, the DPW recycled:

• 230,000 pounds of electronics;
• nearly 37,000 pounds of cathode ray tube televisions and monitors;
• 1,452 tires;
• 1,435 Freon-containing appliances; and
• 135 propane tanks.

The DPW also expanded its online Recycling & Waste Directory, which provides residents with information on how to properly recycle or dispose of various items.

At its SafeChem drop-off locations for household hazardous waste, the DPW collected almost 400,000 items that included:

• 72,215 pounds of motor oils;
• 71,621 pounds of oil-based paints;
• 23,814 pounds of fertilizer; and
• 4,000 pounds of batteries.

The DPW collected 24,515 pounds of materials for its Swap Shop, which allows residents to grab free unopened or gently used household cleaners, weed killer and personal care items. The Swap Shop distributed nearly 11,000 pounds of products last year.

In 2025, the DPW gave residents a new way to recycle expanded polystyrene (EPS) by installing a densifier at the North Kent Recycling & Waste Center, which accepts clean, white EPS. The site processed 20,300 pounds of material in its first year, compacting and baling the material, which is taken to a processor and reused. The material was not previously accepted and ended up in landfills because it is difficult to recycle, DPW says.

“The addition of the polystyrene densifier helps our community avoid placing even more material in landfills,” Baas says. “It is an additional way the DPW provides convenient, top-notch services to residents in support of waste reduction goals.”

At its Waste-To-Energy Facility, DPW processed nearly 190,000 tons of refuse, generating 100,528 kilowatt hours of electricity.

Additionally, the DPW began developing an organics drop-off program last year and established a new partnership with Grand Rapids Fire Department focusing on lithium-ion battery fire prevention.

The DPW says it aims to empower Kent County residents of all ages to properly and safely dispose of materials to reduce the amount sent to landfills. To support this mission, the DPW held 217 tours of its facilities in 2025, hosting nearly 7,000 participants.

The 2025 Annual Recycling & Waste Report is available on the DPW’s website.