New Houghton County Cardboard Recycling Center to open Jan. 4

This map shows the approximate location of the new Houghton County Cardboard Recycling Center in Atlantic Mine.

HOUGHTON -- If you're a Houghton County resident but not a resident of the City of Hancock, which has curbside recycling, you can benefit from FREE recycling of CARDBOARD beginning Monday, Jan. 4, at the new Houghton County Cardboard Recycling Center located adjacent to the Houghton County Transfer Station in Atlantic Mine.*

Hours will be Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM HOUGHTON: Head west on highway M26 toward Atlantic Mine/South Range. One mile past the stoplight at Green Acres Road turn right onto Erickson Drive. The Recycling Center is on the right after about 0.1 mile. The address is 17808 Erickson Dr. Call (906) 482-8872 for information.

Acceptable materials are the following: corrugated cardboard; boxes made of paperboard (shoe, cereal, detergent boxes…); brown grocery bags and packaging; frozen pizza boxes; boxes with small amounts of tape, staples, plastic windows.

Note: All boxes should be free of food and flattened/broken down. Do not place recyclables in plastic bags.

Unacceptable materials: food; grease- or oil-saturated materials; paper products such as newspapers, magazines, junk mail; plastic or plastic bags; styrofoam.

The cardboard products you recycle will be sold to industries that use recycled cardboard to manufacture new products. The money from the sale of the cardboard will be used for operating costs at the Houghton County Recycling Center.

Cardboard and paper waste make up 41 percent of the municipal solid waste stream; in other words, cardboard is the biggest manufactured product in the waste stream by weight.

Recycling cardboard takes 24 percent less energy and produces 50 percent less sulfur dioxide than making cardboard from raw materials. Individuals who recycle will see a reduction in their costs for waste disposal. Waste Management is now charging for recycling, but at the Houghton County transfer station this cardboard recycling is free for residential users; commercial users must check with the office for rates.

One ton of recycled cardboard saves 390 kW hours of electricity, 46 gallons of oil, 6.6 million Btus of energy and 9 cubic yards of landfill space.

The Houghton County Cardboard Recycling Center is funded with a $90,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to Houghton County. The Copper Country Recycling Initiative and the Houghton County Board of Commissioners were instrumental in the development of this new cardboard recycling center.

Celebration Jan. 16 at Portage Lake District Library

Celebrate the opening of the Houghton County Cardboard Recycling Center at a special, fun-filled event planned for 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Portage Lake District Library. Lots of fun hands-on activities for kids are planned, including Making Paper, Garbage Pizzas, Recycling Machine, Making Forts, Waste-Free Lunch Safari, and more! A recycling display and information on plans for how to improve curbside recycling in Houghton County will be available, including information on how you can get involved.

Everyone is invited to enjoy FREE refreshments and cake. Several children’s recycling books and other prizes will be raffled.

*Editor's Note: Hancock residents are encouraged to take advantage of monthly curbside recycling, usually on the last Thursday of the month. Click here for details.