ELK RAPIDS -- A 24-hour recycling program will be launched in Elk Rapids next month.
Elk Rapids Township and the Village of Elk Rapids will partner in a new recycling program for both township and village residents. It will replace an existing system at the compactor station on Herrman Road that's available two days per week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, officials said.
"I think the landfills are too full of stuff that could be re-used. We need to be more sustainable," said Cyril Thiel, a 10-year township resident and an avid recycler.
Thiel hopes more people will recycle now, he said, especially since more types of recyclables will be accepted.
"I think more people are interested in it," Thiel said.
The new recycling program will cost about $40,000 per year, with costs to be evenly split between the village and township, said Bill White, township supervisor.
"The other recycle center ... didn't recycle nearly as many products," White said.
More types of plastic will be accepted, along with paper, cardboard, glass and aluminum cans, he said.
Two large recycling bins, similar to the one at Bunker Hill Road in Grand Traverse County's Acme Township, will be placed on Bridge Street, next to the Elk Rapids Police Department. Residents can drop off their recyclable materials any time of day, any day of the week, officials said.
That should improve access for both township and village residents, said Ron Ridge, the village's public works superintendent.
"People will be able to find it, when it was kind of out in the country where it was before," White said. "I think it will be a positive change."
The new recycling program will begin June 1, with the last day at the Herrman Road site on May 30, Ridge said.
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