In 2022, a package of bills updating Michigan’s solid waste law, Part 115 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, was signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. HB 4455 amends a section of Part 115 to include promotion of recycling and reusing materials, with the goal of achieving 45% overall recycling of municipal solid waste, with an interim step of 30% by 2029. The bill also requires counties to implement a materials management plan, which would replace any current requirements for solid waste management.
The Mecosta County board of commissioners approved sending a letter of intent to participate in a multi-county consortium being led by Isabella County for the materials management process during its meeting on Jan. 18 “With the materials management program that the state is going to, we have 180 days from Jan. 8 to tell them if we plan to do our own, are not going to do one, or we are going to do a multi-county plan,” county administrator Paul Bullock said. “We talked before about doing the multi-county plan with Isabella County, and signing the letter of intent complies with that 180-day clock.”
Commissioner Linda Howard, who has been meeting with representatives from Isabella County, along with other interested counties, told the board they are ready to move forward with the implementation of the materials management plan.