This story was originally published by Live in the D for clickondetroit.com/web/wdiv/live-in-the-d.
You know recycling has many benefits, including saving energy and conserving resources. However, Michigan ranks as one of the states with the fewest people who actually recycle, and not all who do recycle do it properly. There is a new effort to change all of that in our state. Jill Greenberg with The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, or EGLE, joined Tati Amare to discuss some ways Michiganders can recycle, and do it the proper way.
Greenberg introduced the EGLE's new campaign effort with the "Recycling Raccoon Squad", who are encouraging people to know it before you throw it. The "squad" helps people by giving them the general rules of thumb when it comes to properly recycling so a reusable product can be made from it.
For instance, many people do not know that plastic bags cannot be recycled. Some stores may accept them once you've used them, but generally don't leave them curbside with the garbage. When recycling plastics, rinse them out with water first. A clean plastic container prevents contamination of other products. Next, Greenberg said to flatten food boxes; if a pizza box is clean, it can be recycled, if it's dirty and grease stained, it is not because it could contaminate other products.
EGLE has teamed up with Green Living Science, an organization that has been teaching recycling and waste reduction to schools, businesses and the community since 2007. They have partnered up with The Detroit Public Works to spread the message of recycling to residents, and now with the help of EGLE, the power of the message is even stronger.
To learn more about the efforts of Green Living Science in our community, visit greenlivingscience.org. And to learn more about the EGLE campaign and more information on recycling, visit recyclingraccoons.org.
