By Sadie Shepherd
BAY CITY – Michigan has a 15% recycling rate – one of the lowest nationwide – and the tri-cities are on the low end of the statewide spectrum. Some explanation for this statistic may lie with the unintentional misuse of curbside recycling collection programs.
Bay City announced its plans to tackle this issue on Monday, Feb. 24 at the city’s recycling facility. Specifically, city officials have teamed up with leaders from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to educate the public on proper recycling techniques through a localized ad campaign.
“We are committed to informing and inspiring more people than ever before in Bay City, the Great Lakes Bay Region and across Michigan how to recycle better,” said Elizabeth Browne, EGLE assistant director of the materials management division.
The campaign, part of EGLE’s statewide “Know It Before You Throw It” initiative, focuses on eliminating plastic shopping bags, wire hangers and foam packaging from curbside bins. These materials are currently not eligible for curbside recycling and can cause major delays in processing.
The program also hopes to ensure that items are being cleaned thoroughly before being put in the recycling bin. According to EGLE, 76% of Michigan residents don’t know that not cleaning these items can cause entire truckloads of recycling to be tainted and taken to a landfill.
With TV ads already running in the area, the campaign features a cast of six raccoons who advise and educate Bay City residents on all of the recycling dos and don’ts.
This educational partnership comes at the perfect time for the city as its new drop-off recycling center is set to open on Earth Day of this year.
“The new Bay City Recycles drop-off center will make it easier than ever before for Bay City residents – and others who live in the Great Lakes Bay Region – to reduce, reuse and recycle items instead of throwing them away,” said Bay City Mayor Kathleen Newsham.
The drop-off center will expand the city’s recycling program to be more inclusive, allowing materials such as batteries, cell phones, polystyrene foam, building materials, clothing, scrap metal, computer monitors, and latex and oil-based paint to be properly disposed of, according to the city’s website.
The localized program in Bay City is just one of six others like it in the state through EGLE. Michigan legislators are hoping that, through initiatives like these, the statewide recycling rate can be doubled to 30% by 2025 and eventually reach 45%.
