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   Press Release
New Kent County Department of Public Works report: Nearly 30,000 tons recycled in 2025
Data shows hundreds of thousands of items collected, keeping chemicals out of environment
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Kent County Department of Public Works has released its Annual Recycling & Waste Report, showing residents recycled nearly 30,000 tons – 66 million pounds – of materials in 2025.
The report covers materials collected and recycled by the DPW, as well as those dropped off at SafeChem locations, collected by or distributed from the Swap Shop and foam polystyrene processed at the densifier that opened last year, among other key data.
“At the DPW, we are proud to responsibly process recycling and municipal solid waste to work toward our goal of reducing landfill waste,” said Dar Baas, director of the DPW. “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.”
Kent County residents recycled a variety of materials, and the DPW collected more than 11,000 tons of mixed paper and more than 7,500 tons of cardboard in 2025. Along with thousands of tons of glass, plastics, 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 appliances, and
- 135 propane tanks.
The DPW also expanded its online Recycling & Waste Directory, so residents can learn how to properly recycle or dispose of various items.
At its SafeChem drop-off locations, where residents can bring household hazardous waste for proper and safe disposal, the DPW kept almost 400,000 items out of homes and landfills that could pose dangers to the health of people, pets and the environment. The most common materials collected included:
- Motor oil – 72,215 pounds
- Oil-based paint – 71,621 pounds
- Fertilizer – 23,814 pounds
- Batteries – about 4,000 pounds
The DPW collected 24,515 pounds of materials for its Swap Shop, which allows residents to grab free unopened or gently used household products, like cleaners, lawn and garden supplies like 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 foam polystyrene, commonly called Styrofoam. The polystyrene densifier installed at the North Kent Recycling & Waste Center, which accepts clean, white polystyrene, processed 20,300 pounds of material in its first year of operation. The densifier compacts the material and bales it so it can be taken to a processor and reused. The material was not previously accepted and ended up in landfills because it is difficult to recycle.
“The addition of the polystyrene densifier helps our community avoid placing even more material in landfills,” Baas said. “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, where waste goes through a state-of-the-art combustion process that reduces its volume and extends the life of landfills, the DPW processed nearly 190,000 tons of refuse. The facility generated 100,528 kilowatt hours of electricity.
The DPW 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 to nearly 7,000 participants.
The 2025 Annual Recycling & Waste Report is available on the DPW’s website.
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, the Recycling and Education Center, North Kent Transfer Station and South Kent Landfill.
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