Public comment open for materials management plan
State requires 30% recycling rate by 2029
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ALPENA -- The Northeast Michigan Management Authority (NMMMA) and the Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) company presented to the Alpena County Commissioners on Sept. 22 regarding Northeast Michigan’s material management plan (MMP) which is now required by the state of Michigan for all counties.
NMMMA currently provides recycling services for Alpena, Alpena County, Alcona County, Iosco County, Oscoda County, and Montmorency County.
Elisa Seltzer, a RRS representative, explained that the state used to require municipalities to have waste management plans and update them every five years. In 2022 the Michigan legislature passed a series of bills which now require all 83 counties in Michigan to develop a materials management plan (MMP).
RRS is a firm hired by the state to assist NMMMA in creating its MMP for Northeast Michigan, according to NMMMA Executive Director Bailey Barr.
According to Seltzer, the main goal of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, which was amended in 2022, is to increase the state's recycling rate from 25% to 30% by 2029. She said that if the region does not develop an MMP, the state will enforce one of its own.
Seltzer said that recycling data for the Northeast Michigan region is scarce. However, the data that RRS was able to gather reports less than a 10% recycling rate.
She added that the current data is below the state's expected baseline recycling rates of 25%.
"There's not a lot of data for the region," Seltzer said. "There's more in Alpena County than the other counties, but there's still quite a lot of data missing for what's actually going on."
Alpena County currently meets the Benchmark Recycling Standard for having at least one recycling drop-off site per 10,000 residents without curbside recycling in a county with less than 100,000 people, according to RRS's proposed MMP. Seltzer said that Alpena County is exceeding the benchmark by providing seven drop-off sites for approximately 29,000 residents.
Seltzer said that RSS considers the benchmarks low for recycling statewide.
"The state has set, we consider it a pretty low bar, but they've set some benchmark recycling standards, that they want each county to work towards based on their population density," she said.
The MMP also states that because Alpena County includes both a city and a township with more than 5,000 residents, it plans to work towards meeting an additional benchmark. This will ensure that at least 90% of single-family dwellings in municipalities with more than 5,000 residents have access to curbside recycling by January 2028.
Seltzer explained that the requirement is a benchmark and not a hard deadline. Rather, the county must show intent and plans to provide those services in a little over a year.
"This does not mean there needs to be curbside in those areas by that date, but the plan is to demonstrate that there is an intention to figure out how to work towards that," Seltzer said.
The MMP proposal outlines 14 materials management goals for the area and objectives from county leadership.
The current MMP proposal is open for public comment through Oct. 30. There is a form available on the Alpena County website to submit those comments regarding the MMP at alpenacounty.org/626/Materials-Management-Plan.
Other recycling goals for the Northeast Michigan region include the following:
ALCONA COUNTY
Alcona County is planning to work towards meeting a recycling benchmark goal for having at least one drop-off center per 10,000 residents, without curbside recycling service, open at least 24 hours a month by 2032, according to the proposed MMP. The county will need to show progress towards meeting this standard by 2032.
MONTMORENCY COUNTY
Montmorency County is planning to work towards meeting a benchmark recycling goal for having at least one drop-off center per 10,000 residents, without curbside recycling service, open at least 24 hours a month by 2032, according to the MMP. The county will need to show progress towards meeting this standard by 2032.
The MMP states that Montmorency residents would like to have a recycling drop-off center located in: Atlanta, Hillman, or Lewiston.
Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.