County recycling continues to experience steady growth

Gaylord Herald Times
·2 min read
Officials said Otsego County’s steady growth in recycling is reducing waste going to landfills, creating economic growth and improving waste management costs by reducing spending on trash pick-up.
Officials said Otsego County’s steady growth in recycling is reducing waste going to landfills, creating economic growth and improving waste management costs by reducing spending on trash pick-up.

GAYLORD — Recycling is on the rise in Otsego County.

In 2013, the Otsego County Recycling Program started and in 2013-14, the county recycled approximately 477 tons of plastic, glass, metal containers, paper and cardboard products. Throughout the years there has been steady growth in the amount that Otsego County residents are recycling, including materials that are now accepted by the recycling program that were not previously.

In 2023-24, Otsego County recycled or repurposed 1,826 tons of mixed materials, including: plastics numbered 1-PET, 2-HDPE, 4-LDPE, 5-PP, 6-PS, and #7 (other), non-ferrous metals that include aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, tin, titanium, zinc, and copper alloys like brass and bronze, ferrous metals that include steel, cast iron, and alloys of iron with other metals (such as with stainless steel), Styrofoam, mixed paper, corrugated and non-corrugated cardboard, and glass.

With the ability to recycle more materials and more residents participating in the program, the county has increased recycling by approximately 1,349 tons over the past 11 years. Otsego County for the year 2021-22 recycled 128 tons on average per month, 1,534 tons that year.

For the year 2022-23, the average of recycled material per month was 137 tons (1,642 tons for the year), an increase of 9 tons per month. This past year saw a total of 1,826 tons recycled, an average of 152 tons per month, and an increase of 184 tons of recyclables for the year.

Officials said the county’s steady growth in recycling is reducing waste going to landfills, creating economic growth and improving waste management costs by reducing spending on trash pick-up.

To find out more information on techniques for recycling properly, visit otsegocd.org/recycling or call (989) 732-4021.

The locations for the county's five drop-off sites are:

  • West — 71 Hayes Tower Road, behind the Hayes Township Hall

  • North — 621 Garfield St. northeast of the Vanderbilt Village Hall

  • Central — 931 S. Otsego Ave., near the Merchandise Outlet

  • South — 247 Old State Road, across from the Otsego Lake Township Cemetery

  • East — 2932 Rock Road, at the Charlton-Chester-Dover Transfer Station

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Otsego County recycling continues to experience steady growth