The Michigan Recycling Partnership applauds state Reps. Lilly, Cole, Rendon, Bellino, and LaFave for introducing HB 6532–6536, legislation to improve Michigan’s recycling rate by eliminating the dual-stream system. This legislation and review of a four-decade old program is long overdue to increase Michigan’s dismal recycling rate.
Michigan can increase its recycling rate by putting valuable materials like aluminum in curbside recycling carts, which help defray the cost of recycling, rather than returning them to stores for a deposit. A single-stream approach is easier for residents and for retailers, manufacturers and distributers who spend millions of dollars annually to take back recyclable bottles and cans.
Michiganders have long felt they were doing their recycling duty by simply returning bottles and cans, while our overall recycling rate has severely lagged behind other Great Lakes states. We now know this two-pronged approach has actually led to Michigan’s dismal overall recycling rate of 15 percent.
The Michigan Recycling Partnership urges the legislature to seriously consider and support HB 6532-6536 during broader discussions of recycling and waste disposal that are expected to occur over the next several weeks.
The Michigan Recycling Partnership is an organization of retailers, distributors and manufacturers formed in 1989 to help grow Michigan’s recycling rate through comprehensive recycling solutions. The organization has advocated for changes to Michigan’s outdated and ineffective system for decades.
For more information, email MRA’s Amy Drumm at adrumm@retailers.com.
