Michigan county accepts paper cups in municipal recycling program

Michigan’s Kent County has announced that it is adding paper cups to its municipal recycling program. The county is encouraging residents to clean and empty paper cups before placing them in their residential recycling carts or dropping them off at one of the county’s recycling centers.

According to a news release from the Kent County Department of Public Works, the addition of paper cups to the county’s recycling program has been made possible through a partnership with the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI), Falls Church, Virginia.

“Kent County is committed to reducing landfill waste by 90 percent by 2030,” says Kristen Wieland, communications and marketing manager for the Kent County Department of Public Works. “FPI’s 2020 grant helps us educate our community to participate in paper cup recycling and ensure that paper cups are clean and empty before recycling.”

Kent County Department of Public Works processes recyclables at its Recycling & Education Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The department states that its recovered paper, including paper cups, are sold to paper mills in the region to turn into recycled-content products.

With the addition of paper cups to its recycling program, the county says it is launching an outreach campaign that will include an education video and social media advertisements. The county also plans to encourage residents to participate in a recycling survey with a prize drawing. According to Kent County, the campaign will highlight the addition of paper cups and will remind residents that recyclable should be clean and empty when placed in recycling carts or drop-off centers.

Kent County also received an education grant from FPI in 2019 to promote recycling of takeout items, such as plastic cups, milk cartons and paper carryout bags already accepted in the county’s recycling program. The 2019 campaign also emphasized the importance of recycling only clean, empty materials.

“Kent County continues to show leadership in its recycling efforts by adding paper cups to its program and raising awareness of recycling other foodservice packaging items,” says Natha Dempsey, president of FPI. “The county has recognized the opportunity to recycle these valuable materials, and we hope that many communities in Michigan and across the nation follow this example.”