Meridian Township may not be the largest community in mid-Michigan, but that has not stopped them from keeping tons of recyclables out of the landfill. This community has two regional recycling events each year, one of which made it into the Guinness Book of World Records (for electronics). Success in recycling is largely due to…

Kalamazoo may be known for an abundance of breweries, but the recycling services the City provides for its residence is equally impressive. The city began offering a curbside recycling program in the 1980s through an “opt-in” program that has now expanded to include 75% of households citywide!  Kalamazoo provides more than just curbside pickup for…

Most areas that have a large amount of residents interested in recycling work hard to focus on getting a curbside program, but Calhoun County doesn’t let that stop them from contributing in the meantime. When it comes to recycling in Calhoun County, these residents take great community pride in supporting local businesses, so when their…

When there are only 17,000 residents in a County, you have to constantly be working to try and keep people involved in recycling. Last year 1,009 tons of single stream recyclables were collected from this rural area. Benzie County has been extremely successful with this and along the way, they have come up with some…

Meijer operates under the philosophy that to be a good company, they must be a good neighbor. Through environmental stewardship, they strive to protect clean water, air, and land for the people and communities they serve. Meijer also pursues eco-friendly initiatives in order to benefit customers and reduce environmental impact.  All Meijer distribution centers and…

The Kroger Company became a Recycle, MI Partner in 2020 and we are glad to have their support. Kroger promotes sustainability initiatives through their Zero Hunger/Zero Waste social impact plan. The plan aims to “end hunger in the places we call home and eliminate waste across our company by 2025.”  One program that Kroger is…

Most people are aware that recyclable materials are collected from households across the state, processed at a local material recovery facility, and then sent to a manufacturer who makes it into a new product. What many people don’t know is that there is often another step in the process that is important – that of…

Pratt Industries has been America’s leading recycled paper and packaging company for over 25 years – dedicated to the sustainability of the planet, their customers, and their people, and is recognized around the world for its environmental stewardship.  Sustainability has always been the cornerstone of Pratt’s culture. Pratt Industries, which was born into a family…

Making recycling simple and saving money on waste services is the goal that Biz Aid, LLC Recycling likes to keep in mind. Biz Aid, LLC was started in Coldwater, Michigan by Samantha Buterbaugh when she was 26 years old. At the time she didn’t even want to touch the cardboard, but now with endless possibilities,…

Since the early 1950s, Bay City has offered curbside collection services for its residential and commercial residents. Seven decades later, Tim Botzau, Bay City’s Parks & Environmental Affairs Manager, is proud the city still offers curbside waste, recycling, and yard waste pickup. “Not a lot of cities still collect residential waste. We are one of…

In 2004, after many years working in the resource recovery program management field, Sarah Archer decided to start her own company, Iris Waste Diversion Specialists. Iris Waste Diversion Specialists are resultants more than consultants. They implement programs, do waste assessments, plan events, and help programs improve their waste diversion or get established.  If there is…

There are 34 municipalities that the Mid Michigan Waste Authority (MMWA) helps to coordinate trash, recycling, and yard waste services for. This can be a challenge when each municipality has completely different population sizes and needs for resources. However, the MMWA does everything they can to customize all options to achieve the needs for all…

  In 1980 Haworth opened and was quick to become an office furniture manufacturer that hoped to help sustain the planet. For years they recycled and called it good business sense. It wasn’t until 1993 that they opened a recycling center and processed 18 million pounds in the first two years. Haworth is a global industry…

When the Missaukee Conservation District opened, they didn’t have any plans to get involved in recycling. Ten years ago, this changed when they received a $32,000 anonymous donation and obtained a solid waste management grant. Everything fell into place at the right time, and ever since then they have been in the recycling business.  …

For the 77,000 residents in Clinton County, recycling has been important for many years. They are the recycling and waste management for the county, overseeing 2 drop off recycling centers and several waste collection events. The drop off centers are both self service centers, open 24 hours. The 2 big collection events that Clinton County…

The MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center (SSRC) has grown from a program that began by recycling a single commodity (office paper) in 1988 to the comprehensive waste management program they have today. The SSRC is comprised of MSU’s Surplus Store, the Recycling Center, and MSU Bikes. Since the completion of their new facility in…