The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is allocating $5 million supporting Kent County's $380 million Sustainable Business Park along the Kent and Allegan County border. In 2022, the state committed $4 million toward the park's development.
It's an investment in the state's new materials management plan. Growing the circular economy, the plan calls for conserving natural resources, increasing recycling, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Earlier this month, Kenty County's Bioenergy Facility, which is a subsidiary of Ontario, Canada-based, Anaergia, was awarded a $5 million grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission. The facility is designed to convert organic waste into renewable natural gas and fertilizer. The Kent County Board of Public Works estimates the facility will divert 50% of solid waste from its 250-acre South Kent Landfill in Byron Center.
When the Sustainable Business Park is fully operational, the county envisions diverting 90% of waste by the year 2030.