MiSustainable Holland: Advice from a recycling professional
HOLLAND — Holland launched its curbside recycling cart program in April 2021. In its first full year of operation, 2022, city residents diverted more than 2.5 million pounds of resources from the landfill by recycling.
Jack Brown is Republic Services’ manager of municipal services. With 20 years of experience, mostly in and around Holland, he's able to recognize the good work Holland residents are doing in recycling and its positive impact on the environment and the local economy.
Here's an interview with him:
What interests you about recycling and what's your favorite part of the job?
“Recycling is constantly evolving and is an important commitment for Republic Services. Last year, we managed 8 million tons of recyclables, which is heavier than 21 Empire State Buildings.
“We continue to make investments in recycling innovation and technology. Republic Services is currently constructing the nation’s first Polymer Center in Las Vegas, with a second center under development in the Midwest, which will process recyclable plastics from Michigan.
"Our Polymer Centers will help enable true bottle-to-bottle circularity. This means, when you place an empty water bottle in your recycling cart, it can be recycled back into another water bottle, instead of being downcycled into a product like carpet or construction pipe.
“My favorite part of this job is working closely with community leaders to bring the best ideas and value to the residents in communities that we have the privilege of serving, like the city of Holland.”
What kind of impact does your work have in Holland?
“I work closely with the city and staff, primarily the (Holland Board of Public Works) and Sustainability Manager Dan Broersma to help identify ways that we can improve our service offerings to better align with the city and community’s sustainability goals.”
Can you tell us a bit about the recycling system? Where do Holland's recyclables go?
“The city of Holland’s recycle material collected at the curb is processed at Republic Services Recycling Center, located on 60th Street in Laketown Township. The trucks’ contents are hand and machine sorted into the various commodities, such as plastic, paper, cardboard. The recycle center processes approximately six to eight tons of recycling per hour, utilizing a fiber sorting screen along with magnets to capture steel and aluminum.
“The plastics are then run through another sort line for final cleanup before being processed to be sent to the market. Plastics are converted to pellets or flakes to be recycled back into water/detergent bottles. Paper products are sold to a mill to convert to boxes or tissue. All material, once separated, is sold domestically and stays in or near the Midwest. The steel and aluminum material is sent locally to Padnos Recycling.”
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Why do you think recycling is important?
“Like the city of Holland, Republic Services is committed to creating a more sustainable world. Recycling plays an important role in doing that, as it helps to reduce reliance on natural resources and contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases.
“Through our investments in infrastructure, like our Polymer Centers, we are helping advance circularity and keep valuable materials in the circular economy for the long-term.”
What would you tell Holland residents about how to improve recycling?
“The most impactful way a resident can help improve recycling is to ‘know what to throw.' They should only recycle metal food and beverage cans, paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, jugs and tubs.”
Any closing thoughts?
Republic Services also has a number of recycling resources available at recyclingsimplified.com. We value our partnership with the city of Holland and will continue to work with the city and the community to create a more sustainable world.
About This Series:MiSustainable Holland is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives.This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme: Community Knowledge: The collective knowledge and energy of the community is an incredible resource that must be channeled to where it's needed.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: MiSustainable Holland: Advice from a recycling professional
