Bay City

The City of Bay City has provided in-house curbside solid waste services since the early 1950s.  In 1991, with a Michigan Solid Waste Alternatives Program Grant the City purchased 2 stake trucks and began the curbside collection of newspapers for recycling.  With a steadfast commitment to landfill diversion over the past 28 years, the recycling program has evolved from a single material program to a single-stream, multi-material curbside recycling program serving 14,500 residential and 1,300 commercial units. Over 1,200 tons of recyclable material are collected annually.

The City received a 2019 Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Recycling Infrastructure Program Grant and a Rural Electronics Recycling Program Grant, to make improvements to an existing building located at the site of the City’s Waste Transfer Station and establish a recycling drop-off for recyclables and electronics. The Bay City Recycles Drop-off Center opened in the fall of 2020 and provides access to recycling for those without curbside service and a local option for handling other hard-to-recycle materials that are not accepted in the curbside recycling program. The Drop-off Center is open to residents and businesses in the region, by appointment only.

As the county seat and largest municipality in Bay County, Bay City is the center of commerce, industry, government, and culture.   As leaders in the region, Bay City is poised to influence resource recovery and is committed to improving recycling access to underserviced populations and neighboring communities.