First of all, if you take the time to recycle - thank you. Secondly, Kent County just got greener.

Thanks to a recent partnership with the Foodservice Packaging Institute, the county can now accept paper cups as part of their recycling program. In a statement from the Communications & Marketing Manager with the county's Department of Public Works she says

Kent County is committed to reducing landfill waste by 90% by 2030.

So the next time you're done with your morning coffee or cup of soda instead of throwing it in the trash, rinse it out [to make sure it's clean] and then place it in your recycling tub or take it to one of the recycling centers along with your other recyclables.

Kent County Department of Public Works
Kent County Department of Public Works
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Ever wonder what happens to your recyclables once they actually make it to the facility? After it's been sorted they get sold to various companies that can then make them into something new. Paper products, which now includes the cups, go to a paper mill to also make new recycled items. Prior to now, the DPW says they weren't able to take paper cups because the lining along the rim wasn't something the paper mills accepted.

Some examples of what paper cups can be turned into include bathroom tissue, food packaging boxes, cardboard boxes, etc. DPW says that the lids on paper cups are also allowed to be recycled.

See a list of accepted recycled materials here.

There are two recycling centers in Kent County: 977 Wealthy St. SW in Grand Rapids and 2908 Ten Mile Rd. in Rockford.

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