Page 55 - Plastics News July 2024

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Michigan hits record 23% recycling rate

he recycling rate in Michigan reached a record “With the commitment to funding recycling in an on-
high of 23% in 2023, keeping the state on track going way, I think putting recycling into the hands of
Tto achieve its goal of a 30% recycling rate by the state agency through the funding really stood as
2029, according to a press release from the state’s the flag in the sand saying we support recycling and
Department of Environment, Great Lakes and En- we are going to go through with it,” she said.
ergy.
The total residential volumes recycled in 2023 stood
Kerrin O’Brien, executive director of the Michigan at 703,369 tons, higher by 82,000 tons or about 13%
Recycling Coalition, credited the rising rates to col- from the previous year, according to the press re-
laborative efforts at the state and local levels, includ- lease. Nearly half was paper and paper products.
ing financial investment. Metals represented about one-third of the total,
while glass and plastics represented the remainder.
“There’s no one single thing you can point to,”
O’Brien told Resource Recycling. “Recycling devel- In comparison, the 2019 rate was at 14.25%.
oped in Michigan by communities stepping in to in-
crease recycling and to pay for those services.” EGLE and The Recycling Partnership teamed up to
introduce more than 245,000 curbside recycling
Over the past five years, recycling programs re- carts in more than 30 Michigan communities, serv-
ceived consistent state funding for the first time, ing more than 1 million residents, according to the
she said. Although there was a bond issue in the state agency. Michigan plans to introduce 88,000
late 1980s and early ’90s, it “dried up” without lead- more carts in 2024, among four communities.
ership, O’Brien said.
In addition, 80% of state residents reported chang-

July 2024 PLASTICS NEWS 57