The Kent County Board of Public Works is currently building out a $380 million Sustainable Business Park along the Kent and Allegan County boarder.
Last year, it entered into a joint venture with two anchor tenants: Anaergia and Continuus Materials.
Within the Sustainable Business Park, the two privately owned companies are bringing online the Kent County Bioenergy Facility. The Michigan Public Service Commission has awarded the project a $5 million grant.
In a news release, the Kent County Department of Public Works explained, “The facility is expected to initially divert over 50% of municipal solid waste while reducing methane emissions by recovering organic material in the waste and converting it into renewable natural gas and fertilizer.”
Brett Hodson is CEO of Anaergia, added, “Over 40% of what is landfilled in the U.S. creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is responsible for at least 30% of global warming to date—so projects like the one being developed by Kent County Bioenergy Facility will do no less than help save the planet.”
The Kent County Department of Public Works envisions diverting 90-percent of waste at the 250-acre South Kent Landfill in Byron Center by the year 2030.