Congratulations are in order for Ishpeming Township and Jim Nankervis, who serves as township supervisor, for launching a new glass recycling program.

Using $71,000 in grant money received from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and The Recycling Partnership, glass collection will take place 1 to 6 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month in the parking lot of Ishpeming Township Hall, 1575 U.S. 41.

The grant funds will also be used to buy 1,278 recycling containers that will be distributed to Ishpeming Township residents at the end of April.

The 64-gallon containers are part of the township’s efforts to simplify the recycling process by allowing home collection starting the week of May 3, the Journal story said.

“The landfills in Michigan are filling up with waste and a large portion of this material can be recycled,” Nankervis said for the Journal story. “Marquette County Landfill invested approximately $6.5 million to create a recycling center at the landfill site. It’s up to the residents of Marquette County to be recycling the material that they can so we save space in the landfill. This is good for the environment.”

We couldn’t agree more. Ishpeming Township’s efforts are forward reaching and progressive in a way that most everyone can support.

It’ll be interesting to see how much glass is collected in a year’s time, all of which has heretofore resided in the county landfill.

— The Mining Journal, Marquette