News Photo by Darby Hinkley From left, Jason Bonno, Michael Burns and Allen Woloszyk sift through and separate recyclables at Alpena Resource Recovery Facility on Monday.

ALPENA — Area residents wishing to recycle their paper, plastic and cardboard goods can still drop them off at any of the nine county service sites provided by the Alpena Resource Recovery Facility, but, as of Oct. 1, Greenway recycling services no longer accepts recyclable goods at its drop-off site at 1298 U.S.-23 N.

“We have ended all commercial recycling services and all recycling drop off at our facility, including services from seven surrounding townships,” Greenway owner Bob Spragg said on Thursday. He said the decision was made “due to lower commodity prices, increases in labor and fuel. Processing has exceeded the value of the product.”

Greenway provided recycling services to The News.

Greenway will continue its curbside recycling program within the city until further notice, Spragg said.

“This has no effect on Greenway waste-hauling and transfer station services,” Spragg added. “This only impacts recycling efforts.”

The change will likely mean an increase in residents using the county’s ARRF, which is funded through property taxes. But that facility is already operating above capacity, according to ARRF Manager Stan Mischley.

“Our biggest problem over here is our building isn’t big enough,” Mischley said. “We’ve got to keep stuff outside all the time, and it’s not good.

“It takes about 10,000 plastic water bottles to make a 700-pound bale,” he added. “A paper bale weighs about 1,250 pounds, and a bale of metal cans weighs about 980 pounds.”

New equipment was purchased with a $50,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality about a year ago, which has been put to good use, but the lack of space remains an issue.

“This building wasn’t really set up for recycling,” Mischley said. “This is a transfer station, so we make it work.”

‘WE REALLY GET GARBAGE’

The county recycling facility has an operating budget of about $430,000 annually, Mischley said. The facility is governed by a recycling board, which consists of representatives from area townships, the city, and the county. The next public meeting of the recycling board will be held at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 19 at the Alpena Township offices, 4385 U.S.-23 N.

Alpena County residents are welcome to continue using the ARRF drop-off sites, but Mischley noted that people should drop off clean items into the appropriately labeled bins and should not leave garbage or unrecyclable items there. Sorting out what isn’t recyclable adds to the already taxing work of managing a recycling facility.

“We have a list on each bin of what you can put in and what you can’t put in,” Mischley said. “We ask people to really look at that, because we really get garbage, I’m telling you.”

He said that, within the past week, furniture and electronics were left outside one of the bins in town, at the Habitat for Humanity, and he was called to go pick up the items.

“That’s rude,” Mischley said. “Now I’ve gotta go there and pick it up. It comes out of our budget, because people do that.”

“We probably spend around $10,000 a year, taking to the landfill stuff that people put in,” he said.

He added that the employees at the facility have to sort through items if they are not properly separated into the right bins.

“If they put it in the right one, it would save us a lot of hassle and hard work, and extra money,” Mischley said.

“In the plastic last week, somebody dropped in one of them toner things, from the printer, and it just, the whole load, we had to dump,” Mischley said. “It just was no good. We just ask people to watch out what they put in there. Wash out your cans. I mean, who likes a stinky, smelly can? Rinse it out.”

The facility does not accept glass in the recycling bins, but residents can bring it to the facility, he said.

“We take glass if you bring it out here,” Mischley said. “We don’t want people to drop it into the recycling bins ’cause it breaks. Bring it out here and we’ll take it.”

The facility, located at 4395 W. M-32, is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

“We also take in construction material, we take in household hazardous waste, we take in electronics,” Mischley added, noting that those items should be dropped off on Wednesdays and Saturdays only, and fees may apply, depending on the weight of the items. For more information about ARRF, visit discovernortheastmichigan.org/alpenarecycling.asp or call 989-354-2607.

‘EXHAUSTED ALL OPTIONS’

As for Greenway recycling, attempts have been made to combine services and resources, with no resolution, Spragg said.

“We have exhausted all options, including a public-private partnership with the existing county program,” Spragg said. “We have attempted a joint venture with the current program for years, with no resolve. Greenway has offered the existing county program our expertise, our facility, our equipment and 800 tons of material we process in an effort to develop a single recycling program. At this point, it seems they have declined that offer.”

Mischley declined to discuss specifics about the conversations with Greenway.

He will continue to seek resolution with the city.

“At this point, we have left the door open to the City of Alpena to further develop curbside services in the city,” Spragg said. “It seems the city and Greenway are more aligned, having common recycling goals.”

Spragg suggests the city take on its own recycling program.

“I will leave the city option on the table until January 1, 2019,” Spragg said. “At that point, Greenway will be forced to discontinue curbside services.”