Michigan Launches Campaign to Boost Recycling Rate

Michigan just launched a $2 million education campaign to help boost the state’s recycling rate.

The "Know It Before You Throw It" campaign, which includes TV ads, billboards and a website, aims to reduce contamination of recyclable materials and boost the state’s 15 percent recycling rate. According to a Detroit Press report, the funding comes from $15 million in new, permanent annual recycling funding that was approved by lawmakers and former Gov. Rick Snyder late last year. The state had been spending $1 million or $2 million a year with a goal of doubling the recycling rate to 30 percent by 2025.

Check out the “Raccoon Recycling Squad,” which is part of the campaign to boost Michigan’s recycling rate:

Detroit Free Press has more information:

Michigan on Monday launched a $2 million educational campaign aimed at boosting the state's low recycling rate and cutting the amount of materials improperly left in curbside bins.

Just 15% of solid waste is recycled in the state, which is lowest in the Great Lakes Region despite Michigan's 10-cent bottle-return law. Officials said a contributing factor is people mistakenly trying to recycle plastic bags and not rinsing their plastics, glass and metal — leading to contamination that makes materials unrecyclable and increases costs for local governments.

Read the full article here.