News Photo by Steve Schulwitz A row of recycling bins at the Northern Lights Arena wait for people to drop off recyclable materials on Wednesday. The Northeast Michigan Material Management Authority has 60 days to move the bins to a new location.

ALPENA — The Northeast Michigan Material Management Authority has 60 days to find a new location for the large recycling bins at the Northern Lights Arena.

The Alpena County Facilities, Capital & Strategic Planning Committee voted unanimously to have the recycling authority remove the bins after it was discovered that they sit on property Besser had deeded to the county to use solely for soccer. The committee also says trash and other non-recycled materials are often left outside the bins, making the property look unmaintained.

It is unknown where the recycling authority will move the bins, or if a deal can be worked out with the county to leave them at the arena.

Commissioner John Kozlowski said the county was never approached by the recycling authority about placing bins at the ice rink. He said the authority operates separately from the county and decisions, such as receptacle placement, are made by its board. However, Kozlowski said, the commissioners should have been asked about using the property because the county owns the arena.

“The authority basically operates outside of the county and we do not dictate what it does,” he said. “But, it is our property and someone just decided to put the bins there without us even taking action or discussing it.”

Recycling bins have been shuffled and relocated around the Alpena several times over the years. People in Alpena County who recycle used to be able to deposit their recyclable material into bins in several townships and at other locations in Alpena Township and in the city.

Now, most of the bins are at the arena after the recycling authority was asked to remove them from previous locations.

For years, there were bins behind the old Neiman’s Family Market, but when the new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet moved into the location, it wanted the bins moved. There were also recycling bins behind the Alpena High School, but they were moved to the arena after issues with them being emptied and trash being left outside of them.

The Alpena Public Schools did not request that they be moved, Cindy Johnson, the recycling authority’s chairwoman, said.

She added that having more dumpsters at one location helps make sure there is space for people to deposit their recyclables because past locations where there were only one or two bins, filled up quickly and forced people to come back a different day or drive around the county to find a bin that wasn’t full.

Johnson, who is also the mayor of Alpena, said the recycling authority has representatives from the townships, city, and county, and the county has an opportunity to help make decisions at recycling meetings. She said the decision to move the dumpsters to the arena should not have caught the county off guard.

Johnson said a solution about where the recycling bins can be moved needs to be found soon because it could set the local recycling program back. She also is holding out hope the recycling authority and the county can find a solution to the issue.

“This situation is less than ideal and could jeopardize our ability to provide quality recycling services to the citizens of Alpena County,” Johnson said. “However, we hope to collaborate with the County and other interested parties to continue using the area adjacent to NLA as a recycling location. Northeast Michigan Materials Management Authority would like to thank the community for their commitment to recycling.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.