SN 9-17-2022

The Sun and News, Saturday, September 17, 2022/ Page 5

Yankee Springs committee recommends no change to recycling service

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Yankee Springs Township
won’t be making any chang-
es to its recycling service,
after a year-long study by a
four-member recycling com-
mittee.
The committee recom-
mended no changes in its
report to the township board
on Sept. 8, after which the
board voted unanimously to
make the group a standing
committee.
The committee has been
meeting since October of last
year.
The committee, consisting
of Tom Mawson, Mel
Bowman, Sally Smith and
Township Clerk Mike
Cunningham, looked at a
variety of alternatives before
making the recommendation,
including curbside recycling,
before settling on maintain-
ing the status quo.
“Residents are already
familiar with the present pro-
gram. It offers more flexibil-
ity. It’s available 365 days a
year,” Mawson said of the
program’s advantages.
However, he said there
were some downsides, as
well.
“It is expensive to the
township,” Mawson said.
“We do have to pay for it,
and it does require bringing
materials here ... and it relies
on the good behavior of
users. Mike has mentioned
many times that there are
people who just drop stuff

off and expect somebody to

take care of it, and they leave

it outside the bin. There are

some problems with the cur-

rent system.”

Yankee Springs receives

revenue for recycling paper

and metal, which are collect-

ed in separate bins. The

township pays for recycling

glass, plastic and cardboard,

with those items to be col-

lected in another bin, accord-

ing to the committee report.

The township paid $35,

in hauling and disposal costs

for the recycling station

during the last fiscal year that

ended June 30. The township

received income from paper

and metal recycling in the

amount of $3,257, leaving a

net expense to township tax-

payers of $31,864, according

to the committee report.

The recycling station has

experienced a “tremendous

increase” in use over the past

year, especially on weekends

and holidays, Bowman said.

“Probably each one of us

has had a chance to come (to

the station) and found out that

(the bins) are already full,” she

said. “We’re going to need to

continue to monitor the need

for another bin and a concrete

pad to put that bin on.

“We have tried to do data

collection to find out who’s

using the recycling center and

found it a little bit hard with

the current camera system

that we have. We are hoping

that we could improve the

current camera system so that

we can collect better data.”

The committee also called

for improved signage at the

station, Bowman said.

Eliminating the recycling

service was deemed not to be

an option for the committee.

“We decided that’s not a

good idea. (The current sys-

tem) is a good thing and it

saves a lot of materials from

going to the Kent Landfill,”

Mawson said.

A total of 202,000 pounds

of recyclable materials were

kept out of landfills during

the last fiscal year and taken

to the Kent Transfer Station

on 100th Street to be recy-

cled, according to the com-

mittee report.

Curbside recycling was

also ruled out as a possibility

and does not seem to be like-

ly anytime soon.

“For the township to

require that was impractical,

mainly because there’s no

provider that can do that,”

said Mawson, who moved to

Yankee Springs six years

ago from Fairfax County,

Va., where recycling was

mandatory.

“There are too many roads

in this township that are too

small for a large truck (to go

down). We don’t have any

haulers that provide curbside

service to all residents.”

Mawson called for the

board to allow the committee

to continue to monitor the

recycling program and col-

lect information on its use.

“We need to do a better

job of educating our town-

ship residents – through the

newsletter, through the web-

site – about better proce-

dures for how to recycle,

what to recycle, what not to

recycle,” he said.

Bowman proposed that

the township tap into grants

offered by Barry County

Recycles and the state of

Michigan to provide educa-

tional materials to resi-

dents.

More than half of the

townships in Barry County

have recycling services

available to them. Besides

Yankee Springs, they include

Orangeville, Prairieville,

Barry, Hastings, Hope,

Johnstown and Maple Grove

townships.

Wayland and Leighton

townships in Allegan County

also offer it. Among the

townships that do not have

such service include

Thornapple, Irving, Rutland,

Assyria, Baltimore, Carlton

and Woodland, according to

the committee report.

In Loving Memory Of

Luke Yonker

08/16/1996 - 09/21/

“There are some who bring a light so great

to the world that even after they have gone

the light remains.” ~Unknown

We are thankful that your light still shines on in the

hearts of those who love and remember you, Luke.

Until we meet you again in God’s glorious

Kingdom of light,

Dad & Mom, Nick & Lauren, Dallas & Alyssa, Aaron,

Raeleigh, Lucas, and Axel

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and

glorify your Father which is in Heaven.

Matthew: 5:

Cornhole tournament, games and crafts highlight

upcoming Caledonia Harvest Festival

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Caledonia’s annual
Harvest Festival will take
place next Saturday at the
Community Green park.
Sponsored by the
Caledonia Area Chamber of
Commerce, the festival is a
family-friendly event that
will run from 10 a.m. to 2

p.m.

One of the highlights of

the day will be a cornhole

tournament. The tournament

was introduced for the first

time a year ago, Chamber

Executive Director Lori

Gaier said.

“We had a decent turnout

for a first-year tournament.

We were happy with the

turnout,” Gaier said.

Teams of two can partici-

pate in the cornhole tourna-

ment, with check-in at 9:

am. The tournament will

begin at 10 a.m. with a mul-

tiple-game, round robin for-

mat for all the teams.

Participants will then be

placed into a bracket — if

there are enough teams, there

will be two tiers of bracket

play based on round robin

standings so that players can

play in a double-elimination

format with similarly skilled

opponents. Prizes will be

awarded to the top three fin-

ishers in each tier.

Teams can register online,

Gaier said.

Local businesses had the

opportunity to sponsor a

cornhole board for the tour-

nament, where they could

put their logo on the board,

Gaier said.

Other activities for the day

include games for the kids,

arts and crafts, a coloring

contest, pumpkin decorating,

face painting, activity

demonstrations and a place

where families can get their

picture taken. There will also

be food trucks from Saladino

Smoke and Beecher’s

Pretzels available at the site.

Community Green Park is

located at 6260 92nd St. SE.

Mel Bowman, a mem-

ber of the Yankee

Springs Township

Recycling Committee,

addresses the township

board on maintaining

the township’s recycling

program. (Photo by Greg

Chandler)

Yankee Springs

Township Recycling

Committee member Tom

Mawson speaks out on

maintaining the town-

ship’s recycling program

at a Sept. 8 board meet-

ing (Photo by Greg

Chandler)

The Caledonia Harvest Festival will offer plenty of

games and fun activities for kids. (Photo courtesy

Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce)

Last year marked the first year the Caledonia
Harvest Festival held a cornhole tournament. The
event is back by popular demand this year. (Photo
courtesy Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce)

A crowd estimated at between 1,500 and 2,

people turned out for last fall’s Caledonia Harvest

Festival at Community Green. (Photo courtesy

Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce)