How are recycling programs doing in Michigan? We asked a state expert.

Do you find recycling confusing? You’re not alone.

For our Mornings in Michigan series, we followed the City of Ann Arbor’s recycling process from start to finish and got answers to many frequently asked questions about recycling.

For a more comprehensive perspective on how Michigan’s recycling systems compare to national statistics and an update on the state’s recycling goals, we contacted Matt Flechter. He is a recycling market development specialist at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. He spoke with Michigan Public Morning edition Moderator Doug Tribou.

You can listen to the interview at the top of this page or read it further down the page – under our new interactive map.

If you’re like us, you enjoy exploring our state. Michigan Public’s recycling map shows how recycling systems across the state handle a variety of common items. Check it out before your next road trip through Michigan to find out what you can do with your recyclables while you’re away from home.

Doug Tribou: Tracking recycling in Michigan – and really across the U.S. – can feel like a patchwork. One city or county has one set of rules about what they accept. The next city or county may have entirely different rules. What role does the state and your department, EGLE, play in the way we recycle in Michigan?

Matt Flechter: Sometimes it can be confusing. Our job is to provide communities, businesses and citizens with the information they need to recycle correctly.

DT: Let’s take a look at recycling in Michigan. What are the successes and shortcomings? And how do we compare nationally when you look at the numbers?

MF: Michigan has long been a leader in recycling. We had one of the first deposit laws (for bottles and cans) in the country. We had one of the first e-waste recycling laws. We had some of the first curbside recycling programs. Unfortunately, our recycling rate hasn’t kept up with other states because our policies haven’t kept up. But now we’re seeing a shift. We’re seeing this administration and this legislature investing in recycling.

DT: Can you give us a sense of those rates and tell us how far behind the pace Michigan is?

MF: The recycling rate is the total amount you put at the curb that is recycled or composted divided by the total amount you recycle, compost or dispose of. We have achieved a recycling rate of 23%, which puts us well on our way to our goal of 30% by 2029. If you compare that to a national average of around 35%, we will meet and then exceed that goal.

DT: Recycling can go abroad. But it can also stay here in the (US). Where does the recycling that we throw in our trash cans in Michigan usually end up?

MF: About five years ago, there was a problem with the recycling system. We heard that China was no longer taking all the material that they were taking. So our coasts (east and west) were having real problems moving material. And Michigan and the Midwest were seen as places where the recycling markets remained strong.

Now that prices have come down and the economics have changed, the material you throw in your trash can is actually making it to market. And ultimately, by recycling, you’re creating a domestic supply chain of materials for production.

DT: That’s mainly because of 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 amount of plastic is OK? How often do I need to rinse out this peanut butter jar?

If we visited Recycle Ann Arbor’s material recovery facilitythey told us the best rule of thumb is, “If in doubt, leave it out.” In other words, if you’re not sure, throw it in the bin. Would you agree with this approach for people who recycle at home and are just not sure about some things?

MF: Well, I like the rhyme, and I would say, “When in doubt, ask the question.” Talk to your shipper. Talk to your community and ask the question. And that will put you on the path to finding out where the material is going and how it’s actually being turned into a new product.

DT: I have to say, Matt, we’ve been fielding a lot of questions about this because we’re doing these stories and this interview, but some people just want to recycle. And this kind of research is another burden on people who are just trying to do the right thing.

MF: Absolutely. It’s another burden. So much has changed in the last five years with recycling, mainly because people are kind of fed up with all the regulations. They’re fed up with hearing about plastic in the oceans. They’re wondering what’s happening to the climate. And so people are starting to vote with their consumer money, which means they’re buying products that contain recycled materials and can be recycled. And that’s changing the system.

I think in the 80s we were told that recycling was all about personal responsibility, about making choices and doing all the work. And you know what? It’s both. You have to do the work of figuring out what goes in the bin, but also bring manufacturers and brands into the system to give these materials a new life.

Minnesota just passed its fifth Extended Producer Responsibility Act, which means that manufacturers will now contribute financially to making recycling possible and accessible.

DT: With that in mind, Bryan Ukena, CEO of Recycle Ann Arbor, spoke to us about the role of manufacturers in all of this. Here’s what he had to say.

“The real problem and responsibility and burden has to be on the producer of that plastic. And if you look at the (European Union) and Canada and other states, there are 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 for the material to be recycled and they have to make sure the material is recyclable. Putting the responsibility on the individual household trying to change diapers and raise children is not fair and it’s not right.”

DT: What is your answer to that?

MF: Bryan has it figured out 100 percent. What’s happening is that the brands – the leading brands, the people who actually have real sustainability goals – are caring about this. Why is this so important to them right now? There are two reasons.

First, we pay attention. We pay attention to environmental degradation, to climate, to justice. We pay attention to the system that really hasn’t worked in the past. And now it’s starting to work because people are investing in it. States are investing in it. Brands are investing in it, so they want to make sure they’re part of that solution.

They need the material too, for heaven’s sake. If they want to meet their sustainability targets, if they want to meet their recycled content targets, if they want to make their plastic bottles out of recycled material, they need a recycling system. And the only way to do that is to invest in it to make it easier for you. Because frankly, not enough plastic ends up back in the garbage can at the curb.

DT: Matt, thank you very much for your time.

MF: Thank you.

Editor’s note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity.