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EGLE tours Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority sites

Announces 2026 ELGE recycling infrastructure grant recipients

By Annie Lippert 3 min read

NEGAUNEE TOWNSHIP -- The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy joined state and local partners at the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority Tuesday for tours of their Material Recovery Facility and Reverse Osmosis Treatment Plant, as well as to announce that Upper Peninsula communities will be receiving $1.4 million in EGLE Recycling Infrastructure Grants.

EGLE was specifically interested in MCSWMA's SamurAI program, which uses a robotic sorting system to identify and sort recyclable items at speeds of up to 70 picks per minute, which is nearly twice the rate of manual sorting done by humans. MCSWMA received an $800,000 recycling grant from EGLE in 2018 which allowed them to transition to single-stream recycling using this technology.

EGLE Director Phil Roos said that through switching over more facilities to single-stream recycling, the state of Michigan has been able to increase its recycling rate from 14 to 26% over the last ten years, and is on track to reach its goal of 30% by 2029.

EGLE also toured MCSWMA's Reverse Osmosis Treatment Plant, one of only two in the state, which removes PFAS from leachate. That system was supported by a $7 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund investment, and can treat up to 50,000 gallons of leachate per day before the filtered water is released into the Carp River and, ultimately, Lake Superior.

“The Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority is very grateful for the CWSRF loan from the State of Michigan. Without this funding and the assistance of EGLE's Marquette District Office, this project likely would have never happened," said MCSWMA Director of Operations, Mike Stannard. "Because of the funding, MCSWMA is treating leachate year-round and discharging an effluent that is cleaner than its receiving waters, ensuring that the landfill eliminates negative impacts to the environment and preserves public health.”

Once the contaminants have been removed, they are returned to the landfill.

"It's the most environmentally sensitive thing you can do," said Pat Stanford, founder of the company Coviana, which specializes in wastewater treatment for landfills and other industrial sources of waste. "You're not letting any (PFAS) leave this site. Once it comes to this site, we're keeping the waste on this site."

Roos said that he hoped that the SamaurAI and reverse osmosis technologies would spread to other waste management sites across the state.

"We're seeing innovation here that needs to be replicated," said Roos.

EGLE also announced that four communities in the Upper Peninsula would be receiving Recycling Infrastructure Grants. MCSWMA is one of the recipients, with a $143,000 grant to purchase a curbtender truck to haul recyclables from businesses and multifamily dwellings. Ishpeming is receiving $117,000 to purchase curbside carts, and Iron Mountain and Kingsford, the Western Upper Peninsula Planning Development and TRICO Opportunities Inc. in Kingsford are also receiving funds.

"This grant is very much appreciated and will allow MCSWMA to better serve its customers for years to come,” Paul Schloegel, mayor of Marquette. “Recycling is critical to extending the life of our landfill and what’s best for our environment. Currently, the residents of Marquette County are not doing enough recycling. We need to continue to educate our neighbors about best practices and encourage them to use curbside service. Having the latest technology and equipment will certainly have a positive impact on our service as we continue to grow our recycling practices.”

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.

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