Building Sustainable Communities In Northern Michigan & Beyond
At Bay Area Recycling for Community, our mission is to cultivate an eco-conscious culture throughout Northern Michigan. One of the ways we do this is by offering a diverse array of sustainable services, including organizing zero-waste and recycling events across the state. By uniting communities through environmentally friendly initiatives, we strive to inspire lasting change. This summer, we have an exciting lineup of green events across various regions, showcasing our expertise and commitment to building sustainable communities in Traverse City, Kaleva, and beyond. Let’s dive into a few green events happening in July!
Green Events in Traverse City this July
Tour de TART
Friday, July 19th, 2024, from 4:00 – 10:00 pm
Traverse City is renowned for its natural beauty, making it the perfect place to host an annual bike riding event that showcases it’s bay views and lush scenery. We are thrilled to support the annual Tour de TART family-friendly bicycle ride. Hosted by our friends at TART Trails and presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network, this event invites riders of all ages and abilities to embark on a 17-mile evening ride from Darrow Park in Traverse City to North Park in Suttons Bay.
Along the way, participants will enjoy food stops, a bayside meal, a cash bar featuring local wine and microbrews, and a relaxing bus ride back to Traverse City. Bikes will be securely transported to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all. BARC is excited to contribute to this event by providing compostable products, helping participants engage in eco-friendly exercise this summer.
For more details, visit the Tour de TART website.
Sustainable Summer Events in Leelanau County
Leelanau Electronic Waste Collection Days
April – September 2024
E-Waste recycling is a huge part of what we do here at BARC. Diverting precious resources out of Michigan landfills helps us protect our community from the dangerous consequences of improper electronic waste disposal. That’s why we are offering Leelanau County residents 12 Electronic Waste Collection days throughout 2024. In partnership with eRecycleTC, BARC is and funded by the Leelanau County PA-69 Tax, these events are free for all residents.
The events will all be held from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm with time slots for each hour. This July we have three events to choose from in three locations across Leelanau County:
- Friday July 12th, 2024 in Elmwood Township
- Friday July 19th, 2024 at Glen Lake School
- Monday July 22nd, 2024 in Peshawbestown
We also have more Leeleanu E-Waste Days events going through September. To register, please fill out the form on our Leelanau E-Waste Events page.
Green Events in Manistee County: July 2024
Kaleva Heritage Day
Saturday, July 20th 2024 & Sunday, July 21st 2024
We love celebrating Kaleva, the home of our second BARC location, recycling facility, and resale shop. Every year in mid-July, BARC gets excited to experience the rich history of Kaleva in Manistee County during the annual Kaleva Heritage Days festival. This event features a school reunion, delicious food, a softball tournament, a car show, pony rides, games, contests, a parade, arts and crafts, and fireworks. Plus, throughout the festival, a bus will provide tours of our Kaleva facility and access to our Kaleva Resale Shop. BARC will be open till 7pm on Saturday and the bus will be stopping at BARC every 20 minutes.
Check out the event flyer or learn more about Kaleva Heritage Day.
Manistee Scrap Tire Event
July 27th 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Each year, we host the annual Manistee Scrap Tire Event at our facility in Kaleva, in partnership with the Manistee Conservation District. This organization is dedicated to providing environmental education and resources for the residents of Manistee County. Our event offers a fantastic opportunity for residents to recycle responsibly and enjoy discounted recycling services. Scrap tires can be recycled for just $2 per tire (cash only), with a limit of 10 tires per person. In 2023, we successfully recycled 1,861 tires in just four hours.
This event wouldn’t be possible without the invaluable assistance of the students from Bear Lake School, a green school near our Kaleva facility. These dedicated kids volunteer during the event, helping with tire collection, and are rewarded with a pizza party and funds added to their student account. It’s a wonderful way to foster an eco-conscious culture among the community’s youth!
For details, check out our Scrap Tire Event Flyer.
Green Events in Michigan & Beyond
Summer Beer Festival
July 26th & July 27th 2025
Celebrate Michigan’s vibrant beer culture this summer in a sustainable way! Join us for the 25th annual Summer Beer Festival on July 26-27, 2024, at Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park. Hosted by our friends at the Michigan Brewers Guild, this zero-waste event features hundreds of local Michigan beers, live music, and delicious food. All beer is served with compostable products, ensuring that we minimize our environmental impact.
When you buy a ticket, it includes 15 sampling tokens, with additional tokens available for purchase. If you can’t make it to the Summer Beer Festival, don’t worry—these events happen year-round, all across Michigan.
Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July is a global movement encouraging millions to reduce single-use plastics. Join us in making a difference for our communities, oceans, and environment by committing to refuse single-use plastics this July and beyond, and be part of the solution to plastic pollution.
To support this initiative, we’re offering a special incentive: bring a bushel of plastic bags to our Kaleva Resale Shop in July, and you’ll receive 10% off your purchase. The collected plastic will be repurposed in downstream manufacturing for carpeting, contributing to a more sustainable production cycle.
Together, we can create a cleaner, more sustainable future. If you can’t make it into our resale shop this July, here is a blog on how to Have A Plastic-Free July: Eco-Friendly Tips With BARC.
Learn more about the movement.
Host a Green Recycling Event with Us
BARC offers a variety of large-scale recycling events, including electronic waste, mattress, tire, hotel clean-out, and furniture/bulk item drop-offs. We are committed to helping communities manage waste responsibly and sustainably.
If you are interested in hosting a green recycling event with us, please visit our Large Scale Recycling Event page for more information and to make a request.