Just days after Earth Day and Local 4’s Go 4 It Shred and Protect event, Michigan has released its numbers on a record high recycling rate for the fourth straight year.
According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the state has steadily increased its recycling rate from 14.25% before 2019 to 23% last year and over 25% now. EGLE forecasts that Michigan is on track to achieve the state’s goal of a 30% recycling rate by 2029.
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The news coincides with our Shred and Protect event we held Earth Day at Corrigan in Novi. We had an overwhelming response and collected a total of 40 tons of paper and 60 pallets of E-waste. All those documents were shredded and will be recycled, meanwhile the tech will be wiped clean and recycled or refurbished for people in need.
The team at Rocket Companies goes through those old devices and gets them ready to donate to Human IT. It’s been donating nearly million pounds of e-waste since 2020.
“They’re really helping take not only all that technology off your hands, but then they’re breaking it down,” says Rob Frappier, spokesperson of the Rocket Community Fund. “They’re observing all security compliance considerations, and they’re doing it in the most sort of efficient way possible to ensure that it gets to the right people.”
The research from EGLE shows that in 2024, Michiganders recycled more than 71,000 tons of glass, 329,000 tons of paper and paper products and 56,000 tons of plastics and plastic products. That’s equivalent to every person in Michigan recycling nearly 143 pounds of cardboard boxes, milk cartons, soup cans, plastic bottles and soup cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars, food waste, and other material over a 12-month span.
“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.”
EGLE also announced more than $11.8 million in grants that will bolster Michigan’s recycling programs and help the state’s business supply chains.
“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,” said EGLE Director Phil Roos. “Every bottle, box, and can recycled brings us one step closer to a sustainable Michigan where both the environment and our communities thrive.”