Michigan county introduces initiative to improve curbside recycling

Washtenaw Regional Resource Management Authority (WRRMA) is teaming with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and national nonprofit The Recycling Partnership to improve the quality of materials residents in Michigan’s Ann Arbor Township, Dexter, Saline, Scio Township, Pittsfield Township, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township recycle during 2021. 

According to a news release from the county, the initiative is called the Feet on the Street and it launched June 21. It offers awareness and outreach activities to continue through the summer across the communities. The program is paid for through a joint $118,605 grant from EGLE and The Recycling Partnership. 

“Recycling properly not only saves our taxpayers’ money by reducing the cost of processing at the materials recovery facility, but it also supports jobs and improves the health of the environment,” says WRRMA Manager Theo Eggermont. “We know our residents want to recycle the right way. Through this Feet on the Street campaign, we are providing them customized, immediate feedback to do just that.” 

The goal of the Feet on the Street project will be to reduce the percentage of contamination and educate customers on how to recycle correctly. This will increase the number of quality recyclables so that items accepted for recycling are guaranteed to make their way back into new products. 

Developed by The Recycling Partnership, the national program helps communities achieve economically efficient recycling programs. It also improves the cleanliness of communities. 

The Feet on the Street program includes a comprehensive education and outreach strategy. This includes a team of community-based observers who visit residents to provide feedback on improving their recycling habits. 

In addition, the education campaign will target WRRMA’s 40,000 single-family households in the proposed project area using direct mail pieces and social media messaging. A concentrated tagging effort that addresses contamination will be used also. 

Recipients of the Feet on the Street print informational fliers will be encouraged to recycle paper and cartons, cardboard, metal items such as cans, plastic bottles, jars and jugs and glass bottles and jars. Residents are also urged not to bag their recyclables and not to recycle such items as plastic bags or plastic wrap, “tanglers” like cords, hoses or chains, yard waste and food or liquids. 

“The Feet on the Street program works by giving residents instant feedback on what is and is not recyclable,” says Jill Martin, director of community programs at The Recycling Partnership. “Through this personalized and real-time feedback loop, we are going to help the communities of WRRMA capture more quality recyclables that can then be transformed into new materials, creating and supporting jobs, a less wasteful planet and stronger, healthier communities.” 

Statewide, Michigan’s recycling quality improvement efforts with The Recycling Partnership rolled out last fall and will continue through 2021. WRRMA is among more than 100 Michigan communities representing 300,000-plus households statewide who requested funding support from EGLE totaling $800,000 in individual grants, including $118,605 to WRRMA. 

The Recycling Partnership has implemented the program in 70 communities across the country. This has resulted in an average of 27 percent increases in the overall capture of quality recyclables. The organization says that some communities saw as much as a 57 percent decrease of nonrecyclables in their recycling stream. 

The initiative aligns with EGLE’s “Know It Before You Throw It” recycling education campaign featuring the Recycling Raccoon Squad. The campaign promotes best practices and emphasizes that recycling materials saves energy, reduces water use, decreases greenhouse gases, conserves resources and translates into local jobs. 

“We are looking forward to partnering with Michigan communities and The Recycling Partnership on this data-driven approach,” says Liz Browne, director of EGLE’s Materials Management Division. “It’s more important than ever to communicate with the public to improve the quality of materials being recycled. We all have a role to play in helping businesses get materials to make the essential products Michigan needs for our economic recovery from COVID-19, such as toilet paper, food containers and shipping boxes.”