Eaton County seeks 90-day extension for state materials-management work plan as recycling program expands

Eaton County solid-waste staff told the Board of Commissioners they are moving forward with expanded mobile recycling and vendor contracts while requesting a 90‑day extension from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) for the county's Materials Management Plan (MMP).

The county's solid-waste presenter, Jared (department staff), said the department is negotiating vendor agreements for electronics recycling and household hazardous-waste services, testing a recycling trailer for smaller rural sites, and launching two county collection events in 2025 to improve attendance and cost efficiency. He told commissioners that EGLE has not issued final guidance for the MMP work plans and that many counties are seeking short extensions; Eaton County is asking for 90 days.

The request matters because EGLE funding for counties will be released only after the county approval agency signs off on a work plan, Jared said. He described the likely initial funding as approximately $60,000 per year plus $0.50 per capita (about $110,000 annually for Eaton County), and noted that those planning funds will not cover capital infrastructure such as balers or transfer-station equipment.

Commissioners and staff discussed capacity constraints at Sunfield Recycling Center, the performance of existing cardboard balers, and the county's consideration of larger horizontal balers (which Jared said can cost roughly $60,000 to $100,000 new). Jared said current vertical balers work for present volumes but that horizontal, top-load balers would reduce labor and produce more uniform, higher‑density bales for manufacturers.

On batteries, Jared said the county accepts common household alkaline and standard lead‑acid (car) batteries at its centers but is considering limits on larger lithium‑ion batteries: "we're looking at limiting to 24 volts, because larger than that, we really have nowhere to recycle them," he said, adding that large lithium‑ion batteries raise fire and handling risks and are expensive to recycle.

Jared described the mobile-recycling pilot in Eaton Rapids as drawing strong turnout and said the department is evaluating whether a southeast-county recycling center or more trailers would improve access in rural parts of the county. He also reported that the county's recycling aggregation at Sunfield is approaching storage and equipment capacity, and the department is exploring grant funding from EGLE and other sources to support investments.

Three formal items tied to Jared's report were moved for approval and passed by voice vote: (1) approval of contracts resulting from the RFP process for electronics, household hazardous waste and battery services (vendor names and contract terms were described in staff materials); (2) the scrap-tire resolution included in the meeting packet; and (3) the county's request for a 90‑day extension to submit the MMP work plan to EGLE. The meeting record shows voice approval for each item but does not provide a roll-call tally in the transcript.

Commissioners raised concerns about local recycling centers' financial uncertainty under the MMP: Commissioner Blake said smaller local sites such as Grand Ledge and Delta are seeking clarity on what funding or operations the county will provide and stressed the need for a plan that fits Eaton County rather than simply copying larger counties. Jared and other commissioners said the county is positioned between state direction and local needs and will continue working with local centers to identify infrastructure and operating needs.

Jared said the department plans to convene the Materials Management Planning Committee on Jan. 14 to elect officers, vote on bylaws and review a draft schedule and sample work programs; he reiterated that EGLE had not released official work-plan guidance at the time of the meeting.

The board approved the three items by voice vote during the meeting.

The report also covered recommendations on vendor selection for county events: staff recommended retaining the current electronics vendor (transcribed as "Shupan"/"Schupen" in the meeting record) and continuing with ERG for household hazardous-waste disposal; for battery collection staff recommended seeking lower-cost alternatives to the current provider (transcribed as "Battery Solutions"). Jared said the electronics vendor proposal would save the department money compared with alternatives.

The department will continue meeting with SWAG (Solid Waste Assistance Grant) applicants and local recycling centers to negotiate program changes and to finalize recommendations to the committee ahead of the January meeting.

The board directed staff to proceed with the vendor agreements, to file the MMP extension request with EGLE, and to continue outreach and feasibility work with local recycling centers and the Materials Management Planning Committee.