Recycling center moves for expansion

Recycling center moves for expansion

Padnos manages scrap materials and recycling programs for clients, such as shipping baled and compressed used paper to paper mills. Photo via fb.com

A recycling center is expanding and relocating into an 86,000-square-foot facility.

The Burton Street Recycling Center, owned by Padnos in Holland, is in the process of purchasing the facility and 1.5 acres in Grand Rapids, at 701 Burton St. SW.

The space is nearby its current 51,000-square-foot facility on 2.3 acres, at 719 Burton St. SW.

Todd Jousma, director of retail operations for Padnos, said he’s unsure what will be done with the previous facility.

Jousma said that Padnos hasn’t closed on the property yet, but that would likely happen in the next week.

He expects the new facility to be up and running within 90 days after closing.

Customer flow

“We moved into this project with the number-one goal of improving our customer service,” Jousma said. “We want to increase our speed and accuracy and service to the Burton customer base.”

Jousma said the building will allow for a better alignment of commodities and path of movement, as well as a decrease in traffic congestion as people drop off their different materials.

“We average well over 200 customers at our peak times per day,” Jousma said. “We just want to reduce the congestion and streamline our traffic flow, with the expectation that we are relieving any traffic pressure off the main arteries, such as Burton Street.

“The Grand Rapids community is pretty active on recycling. With the expansion, we are hoping to capture additional customers through that speed, service and convenience. Burton is right off of 131 — it’s a great location in and off of the highway.”

Everyday materials

The Burton Street Recycling Center takes in household and small business materials, such as paper, plastics, metals, electronics, batteries, appliances, cardboard and more.

Jousma said the center is experiencing an increase in electronics recycling and expects that growth to continue. He is also seeing an increase in paper and plastics recycling at the facility.