Illinois EPA partners with Recycle Coach to increase recycling

Recycle Coach, a Toronto-based provider of waste management and circular economy solutions, has teamed up with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide residents access to digital technology aimed at increasing and improving recycling across the state.

The Illinois EPA says it is committed to helping all Illinois residents understand how to properly recycle or dispose of household materials. This initiative will include a statewide study, a tool kit, an interactive map and a smartphone app to identify recyclables and what to do with nonrecyclables. The tool kit, map and app will each be tailored to the unique opportunities available to participating communities.

“The Illinois EPA is excited to offer this innovative technology that will provide Illinois residents with advanced tools to allow them to increase and improve recycling throughout all our communities,” Illinois EPA Interim Director James Jennings says. “We look forward to the full implementation of this program, which will expand the amount of recyclables properly diverted from Illinois landfills.”

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Key features of the collaboration include:

• Statewide coverage: All Illinois communities now have access to Recycle Coach’s comprehensive digital tools, ensuring residents have access to timely collection schedule reminders, material search capabilities and hyperlocal educational content.
• Accessible through mobile and desktop: The initiative includes an interactive web widget for all local government websites and access to the Recycle Coach mobile app. These resources will guide residents on how to properly dispose of household waste, identify recyclables and manage non-recyclables.
• Community-specific solutions: Recycle Coach will begin with a statewide needs assessment, working with the Illinois EPA and local entities, such as county and municipal solid waste coordinators. Recycle Coach technology will be customized to cater to the needs of 12.5 million Illinois residents and 6,835 units of local government.
• Environmental impact: The program aims to decrease contamination at material recovery facilities, increase the diversion of materials from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Proper waste management will also mitigate contamination of waterways and land, organizers say.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the state of Illinois to the Recycle Coach movement,” Recycle Coach President Jeff J. Galad says. “The Illinois EPA has demonstrated their environmental leadership by adopting robust digital tools that provide hyper-local waste and recycling information, notifications and education to every community, thus every resident.”

Recycle Coach is available at no cost to Illinois communities. Local governments can request an onboarding meeting by emailing successgroup@recyclecoach.com. A secure web app will be provided for municipal waste websites, and residents will be encouraged to download the free Recycle Coach app.