News Photo by Kayla Wikaryasz Northeast Michigan Materials Management Authority (NMMMA) recycling bins are seen at the Moose Lodge on Werth Road.

ALPENA — Bailey Barr, executive director of Northeast Michigan Materials Management Authority (NMMMA), says that the “biggest thing for us,” regarding recycling, “is transparency.”

“What’s going on? Where’s it going? What is it being made into?” Barr said.

Barr explained that the recycling process begins with community members bringing recyclable materials to the NMMMA recycling bins.

“We have a driver that picks them up and brings them to our facility,” Barr said.

Barr explained that the containers are divided into sections per material. The materials are divided the same way at the recycling facility

“We have employees that sort that material before it gets bailed,” Barr added.

Barr explained that while employees are sorting materials, they are checking to make sure that materials are not mixed up.

“It’s so important to recycle correctly because all that’s doing is adding labor,” Barr said.

He explained that if materials are mixed up, it takes more time for employees to sort. It is also important to make sure that materials are not dirty or filled with liquid.

Barr gave an example of someone throwing a jar of mayonnaise in a recycling bin without a lid.

“What the guys normally do is when that gets dumped, anything that’s directly around that area, that has mayonnaise on it, we’ll have to throw away,” he explained.

Barr stated that the workers would not have to trash the whole section, in that scenario. However, if a person disposed of a material filled with liquid in the paper or cardboard section, most likely workers would have to trash that entire section.

“Alpena County is pretty good as far as keeping the paper and the cardboard dry and the correct material in there,” Barr added.

However, he said that there have been instances where people have tried to place Styrofoam in the plastic section or any type of plastic material.

“Endless amounts,” Barr said. “Just because it’s plastic, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s recyclable.”

Barr said that community members should only recycle items that have the triangle, recycle symbol and a number in the middle.

“If it doesn’t have a number anywhere on it, we cannot do anything with it,” Barr said. “If there isn’t, then call us to double check.”

For example, Barr said that NMMMA can recycle vinyl siding, but those materials would not have a recycle number on them.

Rather than selling recycled materials to brokers, Barr said that NMMMA likes to sell recycled materials to local or in-state companies that can repurpose the recyclables.

For example, Barr explained that recycled glass is sent to Amrize where the company grinds down the glass for which they substitute in place of silica.

Likewise, Barr explained that cardboard is sent to UP Paper, located in Manistique. This company makes shopping bags, grocery sacks, and fast food bags. Barr added that UP Paper supplies McDonald’s with to-go bags.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.