Recent changes in Michigan’s waste regulations have put a renewed emphasis on recycling, trying to divert more materials from landfills with the goal of raising Michigan’s recycling rate to 30 percent by 2029. As part of the legislative overhaul, every county in the state is required to develop a new materials management plan (MMP) – with funding incentives for counties to team up and collaboratively address their waste and recycling streams. Grand Traverse County commissioners will vote today (Wednesday) on a proposal to partner with Leelanau and Benzie counties to create a regional MMP.

Lawmakers approved bipartisan legislation in late 2022 to update Michigan’s solid waste rules, known as Part 115 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The new regulations “focus on sustainable materials management, such as recycling and composting, instead of just landfilling,” according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Materials management covers “recyclables, organics, tires, wood, concrete, and other materials traditionally considered trash and landfilled,” EGLE states.

While the national recycling rate is 32 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan’s rate sat at an abysmal 14.25 percent before 2019. The state has made strides in recent years with expanded recycling access and educational campaigns, with the recycling rate rising to 21 percent last year. On Monday, EGLE announced that Michigan’s rate now sits at over 23 percent.

“Michiganders recycled more than 330,000 tons of paper and paper products during fiscal year 2023, over 237,000 tons of metals, more than 67,000 tons of glass, and over 58,000 tons of plastics and plastic products,” according to EGLE. “The total amount of residential recycled materials reported for FY 2023 was 703,369 tons — exceeding the record set the year before by more than 82,000 tons.” The current rate equates to every person in Michigan recycling 140 pounds of cardboard boxes, milk cartons, soup cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars, food waste, and other recyclable materials over a 12-month span, according to EGLE.

While rates are improving, the state has set even more aggressive goals under Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s commissioned MI Healthy Climate Plan, which aims for carbon neutrality by 2050. That plan includes achieving a 30 percent recycling rate by 2029, eventually climbing to 45 percent after that. To help reach that goal, Michigan counties must begin developing an MMP this year (or allow the state to create one for them). EGLE Director Phil Roos says MMPs represent an “important step in changing the mindset from treating our trash as a burden to that of using it as a valuable resource. He adds: “This is a time for municipalities, counties, and residents to work together to increase our recycling rate, decrease our reliance on landfills, and build an economy that puts unwanted materials to a new use.”

According to EGLE, MMPs will “include information about waste volumes generated in the planning area, current recycling rates, recycling goals and strategies, improved facility siting processes, and enforcement mechanisms.” An inverted pyramid demonstrates the state’s desired approach to sustainably managing materials, starting with “reduce” as the highest priority and then going to “reuse,” “repurpose,” “recycle,” and “recover” (using discarded materials to create energy). Only as a last resort should materials end up in a landfill, representing the bottom of the pyramid.

While counties can develop individual plans for addressing waste and recycling, the state is incentivizing them to partner together. According to Deputy County Administrator Chris Forsyth, Grand Traverse County would receive approximately $60,000 to $70,000 a year for preparing an individual MMP. “However, a regional plan with Leelanau and Benzie counties would result in a combined grant of $277,755 paid each year for the three counties,” he wrote to commissioners.

“In addition, by working collaboratively with the two other counties, we can improve efficiencies, allow for shared implementation costs, streamline access to regional facilities, and use a standardize educational campaign in the region,” Forsyth continued. “Finally, developing a regional MMP aligns with the county's strategic plan, including the county's vision of innovation and collaboration as we (work toward) meeting the goal of planning for sustainable growth.”

Both Leelanau and Benzie counties have already approved creating a regional MMP with Grand Traverse County and signed an interlocal agreement, according to County Resource Recovery Manager Lydia Gulow. If Grand Traverse County commissioners approve the proposal, next steps will include notifying the state and establishing representative bodies to administer the MMP, including a committee intended to feature elected officials and representatives from area waste, recycling, business, and environmental groups. Gulow says the three counties have 180 days to go through that process. She says discussions are already underway about the potential makeup of the committee, noting that “Grand Traverse County wants to ensure each county feels fairly represented.”

Gulow says Michigan’s new rules regarding MMPs could result in “increased curbside recycling access, more drop-off sites, better processing equipment and facilities, or expanded organic waste diversion, such as large-scale food waste and compost efforts.” The state’s recycling rate – climbing but still lagging well behind the national average – “shows that we have room for improvement as a region and as a state,” Gulow adds.