DRAFT July 27, 2018 Sustainable Business Park Master Plan Kent County Department of Public Works Submitted to: Darwin Baas Director Kent County Department of Public Works 1500 Scribner Ave NW Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504 GERSHMAN, BRICKNER & BRATTON, INC. Sustainable Business Park Master Plan: Kent County Department of Public Works Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. 2010 Corporate Ridge • Suite 510 McLean, VA 22102 Phone 703.573.5800 • Fax 703.698.1306 www.gbbinc.com © 2018 Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. No part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. Anyone utilizing this information assumes all liability arising from such use, including but not limited to infringement of copyright. We Print on Recycled Paper Sustainable Business Park Master Plan July 27, 2018 Acknowledgements This Sustainable Business Park Master Plan represents a major step towards environmental and economic sustainability for Kent County, Michigan and could not have been possible without the vision, leadership and hard work of the Kent County Department of Public Works Board, Department of Public Works staff, and the Stakeholder Review Committee that worked hard to help bring the Master Plan to fruition. We acknowledge the following individuals for their efforts. The current Kent County Department of Public Works Board: • Theodore J. Vonk, Chair • Dan Koorndyk, Vice Chair • Ken Yonker, Secretary • Emily Brieve • Dave Bulkowski • Cynthia Janes • Phil Skaggs The current Kent County Department of Public Works Staff: • Darwin Baas, Director • Kimberly Williams, Finance Director • Molly Sherwood, Environmental Compliance Manager • Dan Rose, Solid Waste Operations Manager • Nic VanderVinne, Resource Recovery & Recycling Manager • Paul Smith, Waste-to-Energy Operations Manager • Kristen Wieland, Marketing & Communications Manager • Alisha Barber, Office Administrator The representatives on the Stakeholder Review Committee: • Dick VanderMolen, Chair • Bill Stough, representing manufacturers • John VanTholen, representing waste haulers • Rick Chapla, representing economic development interests • Katie Venechuk, representing state government • Kari Bliss, representing local business • Bill Wood, representing environmental interests • Steve Achram, representing building and construction industry • Doug LaFave, municipal representative (Kent County) • Jeff Miling, municipal representative (Allegan County) Page i Sustainable Business Park Master Plan July 27, 2018 SBP: Fast Facts The Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) is a leader in sustainability in Michigan and across the nation. For decades, the residents, leaders and communities of Kent County have come together to invest and innovate how they manage trash, whether by implementing single stream recycling or committing to waste to energy. In 2016, Kent County DPW set a bold a goal to reduce landfill waste by 90% by 2030, and that started a new journey to find the next big ideas for how to process waste before it enters a landfill. Kent County DPW cannot do it alone; it will require new businesses, investment and partners to expand and accelerate waste recovery. This Sustainable Business Park Master Plan is the culmination of months of research, community conversation and deliberation by stakeholders and local and national waste experts. The Master Plan offers a roadmap for how the community and Kent County DPW can work together to implement the shared vision of a more circular economy where waste materials are reclaimed or converted into new products or renewable energy. The Sustainable Business Park Master Plan by the numbers: ✓ 75% of trash currently entering the landfill could be repurposed or reused. ✓ $386 million: The estimated value of material discarded in the landfill and incinerators each year. ✓ 250 acres: The total acreage set aside for the Sustainable Business Park. ✓ 23: The number of respondents from around the world to the formal Request for Information (RFI) for the Sustainable Business Park Master Plan. ✓ $130 million: The estimated annual local economic impact if a processing and waste sorting component of the SBP is implemented. ✓ 150 jobs could be created by processing and waste sorting alone. ✓ $500 million: The anticipated direct private-sector capital investment that would result from establishing the Sustainable Business Park. ✓ 86.2 million people were reached through media stories covering the Sustainable Business Park planning process in the past 10 months. Cutting back on trash dumped into landfills will help protect our air, land and the Great Lakes for future generations while creating jobs and new investment. However, with each day that goes by, there are thousands of pounds of trash entering the landfill that could be reused or repurposed. In conjunction with Kent County’s Waste to Energy (WtE) facility, North Kent Transfer Station (NKTS), and the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), the Sustainable Business Park Master Plan demonstrates a viable alternative to landfilling and includes proven methods to convert materials destined for the landfill into usable products. Page ii Sustainable Business Park Master Plan July 27, 2018 Table of Contents Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... vii Table of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... viii List of Appendices ........................................................................................................................................ ix Glossary ......................................................................................................................................................... x Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1 SBP Economic Impact .................................................................................................................................... 6 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 13 1.1 DPW Staff and System Detail ............................................................................................................ 14 1.2 Purpose ............................................................................................................................................. 19 1.3 Project Scope .................................................................................................................................... 20 1.4 Kickoff meetings ................................................................................................................................ 22 1.4.1 Meetings/Tour with Kent County DPW, FTC&H, and Byrum & Fisk ................................... 22 1.4.2 Community Stakeholder Meetings ..................................................................................... 23 1.4.3 Stakeholder Review Committee ......................................................................................... 23 1.4.4 City of Phoenix Facility Visits ............................................................................................... 24 1.4.5 San Jose Facility Visits ......................................................................................................... 25 2. Existing Conditions .............................................................................................................................. 26 2.1 Land Use Zone Designation ............................................................................................................... 26 2.2 Threatened and Endangered Species and Field Investigation .......................................................... 28 2.3 Existing Utilities ................................................................................................................................. 30 2.4 Existing Infrastructure ....................................................................................................................... 30 3. Waste Stream Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 34 3.1 Overall Waste Stream ....................................................................................................................... 34 3.2 Waste Characterization by Facility .................................................................................................... 38 3.2.1 Waste to Energy (WtE) ............................................................................................................... 38 3.2.2 North Kent Transfer Station (NKTS) ........................................................................................... 40 3.2.3 South Kent Recycling & Waste Center Landfill (SKL) ................................................................. 41 3.2.4 Recycling & Education Center (MRF) ......................................................................................... 44 3.3 Industrial Waste Generation ............................................................................................................. 47 3.4 Landfills outside Kent County ..........................................................................................................