RECYCLE MECOSTA MATERIALS COLLECTED – 2022

Cardboard/Fiberboard

  • 306 tons
  • 645 bales @ 950 lbs./bale
  • 16 semi loads @ 40 bales/semi
  • We saved 2,754 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • Using recycled cardboard utilizes only 75% the amount of energy versus manufacturing new cardboard.
  • Over 90% of all products shipped in the US are shipped in corrugated boxes.
  • Goes to Manistique Paper Mill in the UP, where it is turned into pulp and remade into various cardboard products.

Junk Mail/Office Paper/Shredded Paper/Books

  • 43 tons
  • 86 gaylord boxes @ 1,000 lbs./gaylord box
  • 2+ semi loads @ 40 gaylord boxes/semi
  • We saved 128 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • Some goes to Manistique Paper Mill in the UP, where it is turned into pulp and remade into various paper products.
  • Some shredded paper goes to Morgan Composting in Hersey, MI, fed to worms and turned into Dairy Doo.

Newspaper/Magazines

  • 41 tons
  • 82 gaylord boxes @ 1,000 lbs./gaylord box
  • 2+ semi loads @ 40 gaylord boxes/semi
  • We saved 189 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • Goes to Nu-Wool Insulation in Jenison, MI, shredded and treated with a fire retardant, then bagged for sale as attic or wall insulation.

Plastic – #1 (clear) and #2 (solid or cloudy)

  • 21 tons
  • 59 bales @ 725 lbs./bale
  • 1.5 semi loads @ 40 bales/semi
  • We saved 630 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • Recycled plastic uses 90% less water to manufacture versus virgin polyester.
  • Goes to various plastic facilities, cleaned, sorted and cut into small pieces, then melted to make more plastic.

Glass – Clear and Crushed

  • 20 tons
  • 20 gaylord boxes @ 2,000 lbs./gaylord box
  • 1 semi load @ 20 gaylord boxes/semi
  • We saved 120 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • Raw glass production expends a substantial amount of energy.  Total energy requirements can be reduced by as much as 80% when half of the material used to make glass is recycled glass.
  • Goes to Glass Recyclers Ltd. In Dearborn, MI, crushed into glass cullet and sold for aggregate in building materials or made into glass again.

Tin Cans/Scrap Metal

  • 22 tons
  • 7 huge Padnos roll-offs were filled
  • We saved 220 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • Using recycled tin cans saves between 60 and 74% of energy used to produce them from raw materials
  • Goes to Padnos, Grand Rapids, MI, melted down and made into new metal.

Aluminum

  • .5 ton 
  • 2 bales @ 500 lbs./bale  
  • We saved 5 cubic yards of landfill space.
  • Using recycled aluminum can save 95% of the energy used to make the original product.
  • Goes to R & R Metals, Reed City, MI, and made into new aluminum.

Styrofoam

  • 7 tons 
  • 1 semi load 
  • 40 bales @ 350 lbs./bale     
  • We saved 195 cubic yards of landfill space. 
  • Goes to Dart Container in Mason, MI and made into picture frames.

GRAND TOTALS

  • 462 tons collected
  • 188 gaylord boxes shipped
  • 746 bales shipped                           
  • 24 semi’s filled
  • 7 huge Padnos roll-offs filled
  •  4,241 cubic yards of landfill space saved

Bottom line, on average, every two weeks the Center collects a full semi load of mostly baled or crushed recyclable materials, that we keep from going into the landfill – week after week after week, that get reused and made into new products.

Sources for narrative statements:  epa.gov;  earth911.com and recycleacrossamerica.org

Definition of a gaylord box – a four-foot X four-foot X four-foot box.