By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Some area communities and schools will benefit from record-setting infrastructure grants to support expanded recycling.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced a combined total of more than $1.5 (m) million in infrastructure grants awarded to six public agency and nonprofit recipients that will support the largest expansion of recycling in Washtenaw County history. The objective of the grants is to increase processing and collection capacity, improve access to community recycling programs and grow participation among the constituencies they serve by assisting with the purchase of equipment and other items. In addition, officials say several of the projects will have a direct impact on reducing the spread of infectious disease through greater use of automation, which aligns with Michigan’s efforts to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

$458,370 was awarded to the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA) to purchase sorting equipment and a new truck to increase processing and collection capacity. The Authority is subsidized by five communities that work cooperatively to implement residential recycling programs, including in Dexter Township and the City of Chelsea.

$17,608 will go to Dexter Community Schools to expand lunchroom recycling and establish food waste collection programs throughout the district, which serves 3,635 students. The grant will help Dexter schools to recycle more lunchroom items and achieve cost savings due to reduced trash pickups.

Michigan and other states are seeing significant increases in curbside recycling due to more people sheltering and working from home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Another goal of EGLE’s funding support is to minimize contaminated recyclables from going into bins by providing educational messaging across all municipalities. Officials say common mistakes are making their way into recycling bins - causing problems within the recycling system. Recycling contamination causes extra wear on the equipment, increases the amount of material ending up in the landfill and degrades the quality of recyclable material to be sold to end markets.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer and state legislators want to double Michigan’s recycling rate to 30% by 2025 and ultimately reach 45% annually. Michigan’s current 15% recycling rate is the lowest in the Great Lakes region and ranks among the nation’s lowest.