Jordan Beck | Daily Press Leonard Dahn, a recycling sorter at Delta Wide Recycling, does his job while wearing a face shield Monday.

ESCANABA — After putting its recycling services on hold due to COVID-19, the Delta Solid Waste Management Authority (DSWMA) began offering these services again earlier this month.

According to DSWMA Manager Don Pyle, Delta Wide Recycling — the DSWMA’s recycling center — closed around the time that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued her “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order in March. He said there were concerns for the health of the center’s employees, who are employed there through Lakestate Industries.

“We had (virtually) nobody to do the sorting,” Pyle said.

When members of the public were notified of Delta Wide Recycling’s temporary closure, some chose to keep their recyclable materials until the center resumed business.

“We had a lot of people who did hold on to it,” Pyle said.

As COVID-19-related restrictions have been lifted in Michigan, Delta Wide Recycling has recently been able to re-open.

“We put a crew back in place June 1, and we’ve been going at it since then,” Pyle said.

So far, Pyle said things have been going well at the center since it re-opened.

“Everybody’s happy to be back to work,” he said.

Some health and safety precautions have been taken at Delta Wide Recycling. However, Pyle said it is hard for many employees to observe social distancing guidelines while working due to the nature of their jobs.

“On the (sorting) line, it’s very difficult to do that,” he said.

Plexiglass partitions may be put in place to separate employees in the future.

“We’ve got other ideas … we can take another step if there seems to be a need to do that,” Pyle said.

Delta Wide Recycling employees have been provided with personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves. Face shields are also available as an alternative to masks, which Pyle said can cause problems for employees whose jobs require more physical work.

“Wearing a mask sometimes limits your breathing ability — you sometimes get excessive carbon dioxide,” he said.

As of Monday, no employees at the center had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

“We have not experienced any sickness related to the coronavirus,” Pyle said.

The DSWMA is encouraging any workers who may be ill to self-isolate for 14 days.

“We have asked any employee who is experiencing any kind of illness to please do not come to work,” Pyle said.

Pyle also noted Lakestate is handling temperature checks for Delta Wide Recycling employees.

“They should be checking everybody that’s coming to work,” he said.

According to Pyle, Delta Wide Recycling is continuing to adjust its COVID-19 response plan.

“It’s new to everyone, and we are trying to learn and change as we go forward,” he said.