Michigan city approves recycling education contract

City officials in Ann Arbor, Michigan, voted to approve an $853,211 contract with Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center Inc. to provide recycling education, outreach and marketing over the next five years.

According to a report from MLive.com, a news organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this new contract will support three goals: increasing the recycling rate in Ann Arbor’s commercial sector, moving toward a more circular economy by reducing the waste generated in the city and raising community awareness about how to handle recyclable, compostable and trash materials. The educational work will focus on five areas, including community-based social marketing, commercial-sector education, education at community events, multifamily housing education and youth education.

MLive.com reports that this new contract with Ecology Center includes youth education and expands to meet the broader needs of the community identified in the city’s solid waste plan and A2Zero carbon-neutrality plan.

“We are delighted by the city of Ann Arbor’s increased investment in community-based education,” says Mike Garfield, director of the Ecology Center. “Community education about recycling and zero waste is central to successful programs and paramount in building the circular economy. Through city of Ann Arbor contracts and other funding, the Ecology Center has provided K-12 recycling and zero-waste education in the Ann Arbor community and public schools for nearly 40 years. We expect that the new contract’s expanded range of services will make a major positive impact.”

Ecology Center is the parent organization of Recycle Ann Arbor, which is a nonprofit that manages the city’s material recovery facility.