Michigan Recycling Coalition

09/16/2026

Materials and Recycling Management (MRM) Training is the one-stop comprehensive, interactive Michigan materials management learning experience. Participants will grow their knowledge of the integrated waste management industry with special focus on sustainable materials management. Join us to develop understanding of key systems, be connected with helpful tools and resources, and make valuable peer-to-peer and peer-to-expert connections that will support the development and maintenance of successful programs. Register here to build your expertise -> 🔗https://mirc.memberclicks.net/mrm-2026

09/11/2026

Curious about composting? Take advantage of a series tours that'll be taking place over the next two weeks at a compost operation near you. Understand how the composting of yard waste and food scraps contributes to a healthy sustainable Michigan. Find a nearby tour! 🔗 https://michiganrecycles.org/5th-annual-gmct/

09/03/2026

Materials and Recycling Management (MRM) Training is the one-stop comprehensive, interactive Michigan materials management learning experience. Participants will grow their knowledge of the integrated waste management industry with special focus on sustainable materials management. Join us to develop understanding of key systems, be connected with helpful tools, and make valuable peer-to-peer and peer-to-expert connections that will support the development and maintenance of successful programs. Register today to build your expertise. https://michiganrecycles.org/2026-mrm-training/

08/06/2026

08/06/2026

At Recycle Here, a donated garden decoration named Snart helped manager Zech A transform his outlook on sustainability and community.

Like other recycling center managers, Zech spends much of his day sorting through contamination and preparing materials for compaction. He never viewed Recycle Here’s free store, The Junk Hole, with much reverence. But after he laid eyes on Snart’s weathered stone face, Zech–and others familiar with The Junk Hole–began to see circularity in a different light.

Zech recognizes that recycling doesn’t just involve flattening boxes, baling plastics, and crushing glass–it’s a playful, generous, living ecosystem. After all, Zech knows first-hand that sustainability works best when people truly want to participate.

Hear Zech’s story ⬇️

07/29/2026

While working in the garbage industry, Shawn Blackwell didn’t always recognize waste as a resource. That all changed when he took a job hauling food scraps for Spurt Industries.

By traversing city streets and country roads to pick up scraps from bright green bins, Shawn learned to appreciate the ways in which composters like Spurt Industries transform organic waste into something new.

Shawn, with two decades of waste management experience, moved to Michigan without many connections. Now, he works at a place that feels like home, and for people that feel like family.

Hear Shawn’s story!

07/23/2026

What breeds circular innovation? To Brittany Tremayne, experimentation & determination are essential–they’re the tools she used to help PADNOS develop their first ever electronics recycling program.

Brittany–a college student at the time–didn’t expect to dismantle PCs and hand-sort discarded electronics during her summer job at PADNOS. But that’s exactly what she ended up doing, and she became one of the first on the PADNOS team to chart a path forward for electronics recycling. Today, the scrap giant readily recycles electronics at many of their locations.

To push real change, Brittany believes that recycling organizations should support team members that are ready to jump into a fresh, new idea–even if they’re the first to do so.

Hear Brittany’s story!

07/14/2026

Are you a community leader ready to level up your residential recycling programs? Apply for the Michigan Recycling Coalition’s Community Education Subawards!

Thanks to a grant from the EPA, the MRC is providing motivated communities with $7,500 of funding to implement recycling education tactics like cart tagging, website development, and face-to-face education events, alongside other initiatives that will increase participation and decrease contamination.

What’s more, the MRC education team will offer one-on-one support to help your community zero in on goals and implement proven behavior change strategies to help you get the most out of your funding.

Click the links below to get started! ⬇

07/08/2026

Once you learn how recycling really works, you understand why the rules are so important!

From sorting recyclables to educating residents at the drop-off center, Zalika Rivers spoke at the MRC’s 44th Annual Conference to share her unique perspective as an Assistant Operations Manager at Recycle Ann Arbor’s Zero Waste Material Recovery Facility.

Zalika grew up an avid recycler, but only fully understood the harm of “wishcycling” after she began working on the sort line. If they remember that hardworking humans touch and sort every object sent to the MRF, Zalika believes that people may think twice before taking food waste, batteries, or other contaminants to the curb or to the drop-off center.

Watch the video to hear Zalika’s story!

Photo & video credits to Recycle Ann Arbor.

06/24/2026

Have you come up with a creative way to recycle or reuse EV batteries? Apply to the FREE NextCycle Electric Vehicle (EV) Recycling & Reuse Accelerator!

The program will support projects that strengthen Michigan’s EV battery value chain, including collection, transportation, diagnostics, second-life applications, processing, critical mineral recovery, and end-market development.

Participating teams receive:
♻️Tailored project coaching delivered by experts
♻️Industry connections with potential partners, customers, funders, and collaborators
♻️Funding and investment preparation to strengthen pitches and identify pathways for growth
♻️Expenses-covered, in-person Accelerator Academy
♻️Connections & cash prizes during a culminating pitch showcase

Teams at all stages of project development are welcome to apply. Click here to learn about the accelerator, and how you can apply to help create opportunities for battery circularity to Michigan: https://nextcyclemichigan.com/apply-ev-battery-recycling-accelerator