Gazette file photo Residents drop off truckloads at the Houghton County Transfer Station. The facility also handles a large amount of recyclables. Officials say the facility is in need of a recycle upgrade.

HOUGHTON – Houghton County has outgrown how it handles recyclables, according to Brenden Presnell, materials management plan coordinator with the Western Upper Peninsula Planning Region (WUPPDR).

Presnell said Houghton County processes about 18,000 tons of material per year, and currently pays $210 per ton to dispose of it.

“The nearest landfill we currently use, K&W Landfill,” Presnell said,” which is owned by Waste Management, in Ontonagon County. It has roughly 3-5 years of remaining capacity.”

As that capacity continues to dwindle, he said, the county will see continued increases in cost for tipping fees at K&W. Presnell continued, “Meanwhile, the Recycle 906, the recycling facility in Marquette currently charges an out-of-county rate of $30 per ton for recyclables. Presnell said in the U.P. the cost of recycling should be lower than trash disposal costs, but for Houghton County, that isn’t the case.

“At the transfer station, we’re currently seeing a financial loss on recycling simply because we have largely outgrown the way we recycle,” Presnell said. “We recycle only one day a week; we have a dumpster that’s put out for people to put their recycling in, and that’s often filled by noon or earlier every Wednesday.”

Additionally he said, the infrastructure at the Houghton County Transfer Station is aging. The more that is thrown away, the more compactors, trucks and loaders are used.

“We are not entirely sure, because we did not conduct a study on this,” he said, “on how long we have before we have a catastrophic break and we will need to replace (equipment).”

Presnell said he recommends the county develop a capital improvement plan for the transfer station that includes an upgrade to the facility for a recycling tipping floor and a feasibility, an a study on what the true costs would actually be.

Presnell the recycling tipping floor has a strong business case for the transfer station, partially because it has outgrown its current mode of recycling.

Presnell said he is currently working with a grant from EGLE to develop a materials management plan for an inter-local agreement.

“We have a pre-set percentage that is contracted with WUPPDR whereas the remaining percentage, 10% in the first year, 20% for the four years to follow,” he said. “The 10% and the 20% goes directly to the county.”

“Currently, there is substantial support for municipalities for the county to invest in this, and I think that’s kind of the backbone of this case for the county,” he said.

Presnell said developing tipping floor for recycling would be a significant investment in the transfer station.

“But right now, we have upwards of $450,000 in grant support through EGLE that could go toward this and the expansion of that tipping floor enables the county to navigate its unique position among the other municipalities.”