Courtesy Photo On Wednesday, new recycling bins were being prepped for use in Alpena. Alpena County and Holcim Alpena cement plant have partnered to reuse recycled glass.

ALPENA — Alpena County residents will soon have glass recycling after years of requests, the Northeast Michigan Materials Management Authority recently announced.

The recycled glass will be kept locally and shipped directly to the Holcim Alpena cement plant. Holcim will grind down the recycled glass and use it for silica in cement.

Residents will have two new recycling bins where they can dispose of glass materials, such as bottles and jars.

One recycling bin will be placed at the current recycling facility, at 4395 W M-32. The second will sit with the other recycling bins currently located at the Northern Lights Arena, 751 Woodward Ave. in Alpena.

The recycling authority doesn’t have a date yet for when it will begin accepting glass recycling as they are still finalizing details and getting approval, but it hopes the process will be up and running soon.

Alpena Mayor Cindy Johnson, chairwoman of the recycling authority, said that this new service will be an impressive new addition to the local economy. Johnson explained that the new partnership with Holcim will keep the recycled materials in the local economy and contribute to a circular economy.

In a linear economy, products are made, used, and then discarded, leading to waste. Circular economic models recycle discarded products and materials and then reintroduce them into the local economy, reducing waste.

Not only do circular models attempt to reduce waste within communities but they also aim to lengthen the lifespan of materials and products within the local economy.

When disposing of glass products, Johnson noted that residents will need to keep glass materials clean. This means that residents should rinse glass containers before placing them into the correct bins.

Residents will need to rinse their glass recyclables as Holcim will grind down the glass and use the ground glass for silica in their cement. Johnson explained that the county wants to maintain this partnership with the cement plant and, to do so, Holcim will need to receive consistently clean glass products.

Residents should also remove metal lids and any other large metal pieces from glass recyclables.

Johnson said that residents shouldn’t worry about things like labels or small metal bands on wine bottles, for example. Holcim will use magnets to catch any small metal debris before the glass is crushed and used for its cement.

Color will not be an issue. Residents can recycle any color of glass.

The county will add these recycling bins in anticipation of the new Material Recovery Facility (MRF) beginning construction soon.

The new facility is planned to be operational by July 2026. Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda, Alcona, and Iosco Counties all plan to send recyclables to the new MRF.

Iosco County is currently working to establish a recycling drop site program. The City of Alpena plans to work towards curbside pickup once the MRF is operational.

Presque Isle County may utilize the MRF in the future.

One of the MRF’s goals includes diverting materials from landfills. In doing so, this diversion will hopefully extend the lifespan of landfills. Other benefits will include providing materials to local and regional manufacturers as well as increased recycling access.

Some accepted recyclable materials will include cardboard, mixed paper, ferrous metal, non-ferrous metal, cartons, and paper cups.

Until the MRF is operational, the county will ship recycled glass directly to Holcim.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.