Michigan recycled a record amount of waste last year. Officials say goal is within reach
For the fourth consecutive year, Michigan residents increased their recycling rate — surpassing 25% in 2024, according to analysis data by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
The analysis by EGLE shows that Michigan residents have increased their recycling rate from 14.25% before 2019 to 23% in 2024, and more than 25% now.
'Michigan's commitment to recycling is shaping a cleaner, more resilient future. By increasing our recycling rate, we not only conserve natural resources but also generate substantial economic benefits — supporting over 72,500 jobs and injecting billions of dollars into our economy,' EGLE Director Phil Roos said. 'Every bottle, box, and can recycled brings us one step closer to a sustainable Michigan where both the environment and our communities thrive.'
EGLE says Michigan is on track to achieve the state's goal of a 30% recycling rate by 2029.
What to know about the latest recycling figures.
Michiganders recycled more than 71,000 tons of plastic, 329,000 tons of paper and 56,000 tons of plastics in 2024, the state said.
The total amount of recycled materials was 723,174 tons, exceeding the previous year by 19,000 tons.
This equates to every person in Michigan recycling 143 pounds materials over a 12-month span EGLE researchers said.
'The volume of materials Michiganders recycled in FY 2024 equals the weight of 10 Mackinac Bridges and would fill the football stadiums of the Detroit Lions, University of Michigan, and Michigan State University, as well as the hockey stadium of national champion Western Michigan University,' said Matt Flechter, EGLE recycling market development specialist. 'Recycling is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do.'
that recycled more than 330,000 tons of paper and paper products were recycled during fiscal year 2023, more than 237,000 tons of metals, more than 67,000 tons of glass, and more than 58,000 tons of plastics and plastic products.
The total amount of residential recycled materials reported for FY 2023 was 703,369 tons — exceeding the record set the year before by more than 82,000 tons.
Recycling in Michigan supports 72,500 jobs and contributes more than $17 billion a year to the state's economy, EGLE said.
An EGLE-commissioned survey shows that since the department launched its national award-winning 'Know It Before You Throw It' recycling education campaign, featuring the Recycling Raccoon Squad, in 2019:
3 in 4 Michiganders report taking action and changing their recycling behavior.
The number of Michiganders who know that recyclables should not be bagged in plastic when placed at curbside more than doubled, from 14% to 36%.
The number of Michiganders who recognize pizza boxes with a little grease are recyclable has almost doubled, from 26% pre-2019 to 47% in 2024.
Nearly 66% of Michiganders in 2024 knew where to check recycling rules if needed.
Michigan residents reported they were recycling an average of 44% of their household waste, up from 38% pre-2019.
The EGLE survey of 1,000 Michigan residents was conducted August-September 2024.
In 2024, the EPA estimated that an investment of $36.5 billion to $43.4 billion would be needed to improve curbside collection, dropoff, and processing infrastructure across the U.S. by 2030.
Such an investment could lead to the potential recovery of an additional 82 million to 89 million tons of packaging and organic waste, which would be a 91% increase in recovery from the estimated 94 million tons recycled and composted in EPA's 2018 Facts and Figures report. The additional recycling would increased the national rate from 32% in 2018 to 61%. The EPA's nationwide recycling goal is 50% by 2030.
There was an overall 5.43% increase in solid waste disposed in Michigan's 67 landfills last year, Roos said in a February report:
In fiscal 2024, 24.1 million tons were disposed.
In fiscal 2023, 22.89 million tons were disposed.
Waste from Michigan residents and businesses increased by 1.29 million tons. Imported waste decreased by 52,000 tons, the report said. Imported solid waste is approximately 18.97% of all waste disposed in Michigan landfills in fiscal 2024, with the largest source from Canada. In fiscal 2024, 4.4 million tons of waste were disposed from other states and Canada.
Michigan officials also announced they have awarded grants to localities totaling to more than $4.6 million to improve recycling infrastructure, including:
City of Holland: $1 million to promote a new drop-off facility to recycle standard materials and hard-to-recycle items. The facility could become a model for other communities, EGLE said.
Recycle Ann Arbor: $800,000 to expand residential recycling dropoff access and significantly increase capacity for diverting construction and demolition waste in southeast Michigan.
City of Detroit: $780,000 to increase participation in the residential curbside recycling program by providing 24,000 additional recycling carts to households across Detroit.
Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority (SOCRRA): $696,000 for the materials recovery facility that processes approximately 16 tons of recyclables per hour. SOCRRA plans to install equipment that uses cameras and software to improve material sorting.
Calhoun County Comprehensive Recycling Center: $500,000 to help build a drive-through dropoff recycling center.
Goodwill's Green Works, Detroit: $300,000 to increase collection and processing capacity for its existing appliance recycling program through new equipment, vehicles and infrastructure upgrades. Project support from EGLE will provide the initial investment to scale these programs to offer free drop-off and community collection events in Southeast Michigan with plans to scale statewide in partnership with Goodwill Association of Michigan.
Ionia Conservation District: $222,622 to construct four recycling dropoff facilities in Ionia County.
City of Auburn (Bay County): $94,000 to distribute curbside recycling carts to all single-family homes in the city.
Pentwater Township: $93,000 for upgrades to the recycling dropoff facility that will allow it to stay open during the winter.
Peaine Township: $45,920 for expansion of the recycling dropoff facility located on Beaver Island.
Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC): $45,000 to help build a recycling dropoff facility that will increase recycling access for community members at BMIC and the surrounding area.
Missaukee County: $37,500 to purchase a vehicle that will allow for increased cardboard collection from county businesses.
City of Bay City: $14,000 to purchase additional equipment for the city's recycling dropoff facility.
Tuscola County: $10,500 to assist with infrastructure to increase recycling collection from county businesses.
Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority: $7,680 for additional recycling collection containers in the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.
Additionally, Michigan recycling programs received a collection of grants from EGLE, totaling more than $5.6 million. The grants will provide training, purchase equipment, establish programs and more.
According to the city of Ann Arbor, these items are acceptable to put in your recycling bin:
Paper, such as newspapers, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, office paper, cardboard (must be flattened), frozen food boxes and cereal-type boxes
Metal cans
Glass bottles and jars, remove tops
Cleaned plastic bottles, containers and tubs (screw on caps: keep on, flat plastic lids: throw away)
"Aseptic" and "Tetrapak" cartons. These are typically used for milk, juice, soymilk, chicken broth, almond milk, etc.
What to not place in recycling bins:
Plastic bags or film
Styrofoam
Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 7 plastics
Biodegradable plastics (marked 'PLA' or 'BPI')
Batteries
Electronics
Light bulbs
Toxic materials such as motor oil
Medical waste, syringes
Scrap metal (auto parts, pieces of equipment)
Hardcover books
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michiganders recycled 723,000 tons in 2024. Officials say goal is within reach
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