Do you find recycling confusing? You're not alone.
For our series "Mornings in Michigan," we followed the city of Ann Arbor's recycling process from start to finish. We also got answers to a lot of common questions about recycling.
But for a broader perspective on how recycling systems in Michigan stack up with national statistics, and an update on the state's recycling goals, we contacted Matt Flechter. He's a market development recycling specialist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. He spoke with Michigan Public Morning Edition host Doug Tribou.
You can listen to the interview near the top of this page or read it further down the page — below our new, interactive map.
If you're like us, you enjoy exploring our state. Michigan Public's recycling map shows how recycling systems around the state handle a variety of common items. Check it out before your next Michigan road trip to find out what to do with your recyclables while you're away from home.
Doug Tribou: Tracking recycling in Michigan — and across the U.S., really — can feel like a patchwork quilt. One city or county has a set of rules for what it accepts. The next city or county can have an entirely different set of rules. What role does the state and your department, EGLE, play in how we recycle in Michigan?
Matt Flechter: It can be sometimes confusing. The role we play is we connect communities and businesses and residents with the information that they need to recycle correctly.
DT: Let’s take a look at the broad view of recycling in Michigan. What are the successes and shortcomings? And how do we stack up nationally, if you’re looking at some of the topline numbers?
MF: Michigan has a long history of being a recycling leader. We had one of the first [bottle and can] deposit laws in the country. We had one of the first electronic waste recycling laws. We had some of the first curbside recycling programs. Unfortunately, our recycling rate has not kept up with other states because our policies haven't kept up. But now we're seeing that shift. We're seeing this administration and this Legislature invest in recycling.
DT: Could you give us a sense of those rates and how far off the pace Michigan is?
MF: The recycling rate is the total amount that you put at your curb that's recycled or composted, divided by the total amount that you're recycling, composting, or disposing. We've achieved a 23% recycling rate. That number is well on our way to our goal of 30% by 2029. If you compare that to a national average of around 35%, we are going to achieve that goal and then exceed it.
Michigan has a recycling rate of 23% compared with a national average of around 35%.
DT: Recycling can go overseas. It can also stay here in the [U.S.]. Where does the recycling we put in our bins in Michigan typically wind up?
MF: Back about five years ago, there was a problem with the recycling system, where we were hearing that all of that material that China was taking — they weren't taking it anymore. So our [east and west] coasts were having a real problem moving material. And Michigan, and the Midwest really, was seen as a place where those recycling markets remained strong.
Now, while the prices dropped and the economics changed, the material that you put in your curbside bin really does make it to market. And ultimately, when you're recycling, you're creating a domestic supply chain of materials for manufacturing.
DT: A lot this comes back to how complicated it is, especially for residential customers. Even people who care about recycling have questions about how to do it right. Lids, no lids? What numbers of plastic are okay? How much do I need to rinse this peanut butter jar?
When we visited Recycle Ann Arbor’s Material Recovery Facility, they told us the best rule of thumb is “when in doubt, leave it out.” In other words, if you’re not sure, throw it in the trash. Would you agree with that approach for people recycling at home who just aren’t sure about some items?
MF: Well, I like the rhyme, and I think I would say, "When in doubt, ask the question." Talk to your hauler. Talk to your community and ask the question. And that's going to take you down a path to figure out where that material goes and how it actually does turn into a new product.
DT: I will say, Matt, that we've been asking a lot of questions about it because we're doing these stories and this interview, but for some people, they just want to recycle. And that kind of research is another burden on people who are just trying to do the right thing.
"Ultimately, when you're recycling, you're creating a domestic supply chain of materials for manufacturing."Matt Flechter is a recycling expert with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
MF: Totally. It is another burden. So, this past five years, there has been so much change in recycling, primarily because people are kind of getting sick of all the rules. They're getting sick of hearing about ocean plastic. They're wondering what's happening with the climate. And so people are beginning to vote with their consumer dollars, meaning they're buying products that have recycled content and that can be recycled. And that's changing the system.
I think what we were told in the 80s — [was] that recycling was all about personal responsibility and making a choice and doing all of the work. And you know what? It's both. It's both doing the work, figuring out what goes in the bin, and having manufacturers and brands be involved in the system so that those materials can make it into a new life.
We just had Minnesota pass the fifth extended producer responsibility law, which means that manufacturers are going to play a financial role in making sure that you have recycling and that you have it accessible.
DT: Well, along those lines, the CEO of Recycle Ann Arbor, Bryan Ukena, talked to us about the role of manufacturers in all of this. Here's what he had to say.
"The real problem and the onus and the burden needs to be on the manufacturer of that plastic. And if you look at the [European Union] and if you look at Canada and you look at other states, there's these things called extended producer responsibility. And if they say it's recyclable, they have to pay under an extended producer responsibility model. They have to pay to get that material recycled, and they have to ensure that that material is recyclable. Putting the onus on the individual household that's trying to change diapers and raise kids, that's not fair and it's not right."
DT: What's your response to that?
MF: A hundred percent, Bryan has got it figured out. What is happening right now is the brands — the leading brands, the people that actually have real sustainability goals — why do they care right now? They care because of two reasons.
One, we're paying attention. We're paying attention to the degradation of the environment, to the climate, to equity. We're paying attention to the system that, really, in the past, hasn't worked. And now it's beginning to work because people are investing in it. States are investing in it. Brands are investing in it, so they are wanting to make sure that they're part of that solution.
They also need the material, for goodness sakes. If they're going to meet their sustainability goals, if they're going to have the recycled-content goals, if they're going to make their plastic bottle out of recycled material, they need you to have a recycling system. And the only way to make that work is for them to invest in that, to make it easier for you. Because there's frankly not enough plastic getting back into the curbside bin.
DT: Matt, thanks a lot for your time.
MF: Thank you.
Editor's note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity.
