IRON MOUNTAIN — Curbside recycling may be in Iron Mountain’s future, though it remains to be seen if the city would make it mandatory or voluntary.

Michigan’s benchmark recycling standards require that 90% of single-family dwellings in urban areas have access to curbside recycling by Jan. 1.

While there’s no clear penalty for failing to comply, it could make sense for Iron Mountain to try, City Manager Jordan Stanchina told council members Monday.

“Over the next few meetings, we’ll gauge the interest in recycling,” he said.

The city’s expense for landfill tipping fees is roughly $250,000 annually, a cost that could be substantially cut with a higher level of recycling, he said.

GFL Environmental has provided automated garbage pickup in the city since August 2023. A preliminary rough estimate shows recycling carts could be added at a cost of $7.30 monthly per household, provided at least 1,000 households participate, the city has learned.

Stanchina said GFL would allow recyclables to be placed in one container, without separation. Currently, recyclables from Dickinson County are taken to a Marquette County facility, where the disposal fee is about half the cost of landfill tipping fees, he said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in December 2022 signed bipartisan legislation that set a goal for the state to achieve a 30% recycling rate by 2029, later increasing to 45%.

This spring, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy announced that the state’s recycling rate had reached 25%, up from 14% six years earlier.

The environmental legislation requires each Michigan county adopt a materials management plan to replace its solid waste plan. Regional collaboration is encouraged.

Dickinson County last year joined Delta, Alger, Marquette, Menominee and Schoolcraft counties to form a plan. Utilizing state grant funds, the Escanaba-based Central Upper Peninsula Regional Planning and Development Commission, or CUPPAD, serves as the counties’ designated planning agency.

Under CUPPAD’s direction, a Materials Management Planning Committee has been created to develop a plan regulating solid waste disposal, recycling access and composting activities. The plan is required to be completed and approved by EGLE by June 27, 2027.

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Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.