Marquette County Solid Waste Authority
The Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority (MCSWMA) is owned by the municipalities of Marquette County. The Authority is supervised by an appointed Board of Trustees, and overseen by the Authority Director. MCSWMA offers many recycling and waste disposal services to Marquette County residents including drop-off recycling, household hazardous waste collections, and organics processing.
In 2020, the Authority upgraded its facilities, with a new material recovery facility (MRF or recycling plant) opening in 2021. According to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the Marquette facility recycled 115 tons in January 2020, but one year later, it recycled 600 tons. Marquette County alone saw a 50% increase in the amount of recyclable waste it handled!
In fact, Marquette County is currently a finalist in the 2022 Program of the Year award from Resource Recycling Magazine. Program of the Year Awards highlight cities and counties that are taking innovative steps to recover more material, engage with residents on sustainability, demonstrate excellence in program measurement, and make critical progress in other ways.
In 2022, the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority (MCSWMA) visited EFS-Plastics in Ontario, Canada, to see what was happening with their recycled material. Marquette residents have been adamant supporters of recycling in their rural community for well over a decade and a new material recovery facility (MRF or recycling plant) opened in 2021. Marquette is now processing recycled material from six different counties in the Upper Peninsula, and stand as a great example that quality recycling is possible in rural communities.
Brad Austin, the director of operations at MCSWMA, explained that having direct examples of what happens to their communities' recycled material builds confidence and fuels even more support for their recycling efforts. EFS-Plastics hopes to continue building strong relationships with consumers and increase awareness about the value of recycled material in strong, circular economies.