County study recommends ~12-acre site, flags current HHW center capacity and safety limits

County planning staff and public-health officials presented a feasibility study recommending that Kalamazoo County locate a new household hazardous waste (HHW) center on roughly 12 acres to address current safety and capacity limits.

Planning and Development Director Rachel Grover told the Committee of the Whole that consultants produced four reports and identified site size as the immediate next step: “the report recommends a minimum of 2 acres for current operations, but really looking at research and other communities, they’re closer to 12 acres,” she said, adding that 12 acres would allow for truck access, visitor parking and room to grow.

Grover and consultants showed photos of the current facility to illustrate operational constraints: limited covered drop-off space, staging that requires waiting for disposal trucks, cramped staff meeting and break areas and an HVAC system in need of replacement. The presentation said the existing HHW footprint is under 0.6 acres and that nearby restroom facilities are not part of the HHW center’s usable site.

Health Officer Jim Rutherford framed the project as a public-health priority, saying the county must keep “dangerous products out of our groundwater” and endorsing the larger-site vision so the county can add services such as mattress and tire collection. Rutherford also thanked staff and consultants for moving the project toward action.

The study materials presented participation trends and weights of material collected, showing growth after a COVID-era dip and projecting increased volumes through 2050. Consultants identified several materials that could be added at a larger facility — including expanded handling for styrofoam (EPS), latex paint (which requires temperature-controlled storage), appliances and mattresses — and suggested equipment options such as a foam densifier and a plastic-film baler that would reduce transport costs and create commodity opportunities.

Commissioners asked whether neighboring municipalities would continue contracting with the county if a new site were built; staff said yes and noted the county recently added service for Berrien County. Commissioners also pressed whether the presentation modeled a robust advertising campaign to increase public participation; staff said the consultants did not include a full advertising program in their modeling and warned a big outreach push would increase incoming volumes and could require faster expansion.

Grover noted the board has already approved $250,000 in capital funding for design work on a new HHW facility. Commissioners and staff discussed next steps including identifying candidate properties that meet access and buffer requirements and incorporating site- and program-level cost estimates into a master plan or site plan. Staff said more detailed utilization and diversion data are being collected and that additional metrics should be available in the fall.

The presentation name-checked the consulting team (RRS, including consultant Kristen Wieland), HHW manager Jennifer Kozak and environmental health manager Lucas Pols as contributors to the study. The county did not provide a per-square-foot cost estimate during the meeting and said that cost estimates would be developed during site planning.