WUPPDR Updates Baraga County on State’s Material Management Plan Mandates, Visiting with Other Western Counties Soon

Across the state counties will need to soon make plans for managing recyclable materials. While many areas of the state do have some sort of recycling program. Michigan has set a goal to separate solid waste material more thoroughly and bring the state recycling rate above 40 percent. In preparation for materials management legislation going into effect regional planning groups, like the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development region have been working with counties to prepare them for the new mandated program.

Last night regional planner Lisa McKenzie gave an update to the Baraga County Commission, that included a projected timeline of how the planning process will work, as well as laid out what Baraga County’s options will look like when the program is implemented by EGLE. Baraga and other western Upper Peninsula counties will have the option to become the regional center for where receivable materials are processed, join the coalition of counties to determine where a processing facility can be built, or develop its own materials management plan without outside help.

WUPPDR plans to work with all six western up counties and has already begun to lay the groundwork for developing a committee that will determine a facility location. McKenzie added that the state energy and environmental department is expected to implement the legislation soon, and she plans to meet with and update each of the other counties ahead of that date.