Flint, Michigan, Mayor Sheldon Neeley helped launch a new milestone achievement for recycling by announcing the largest distribution of rolling, easy-to-use carts curbside carts in the city’s history.
Neeley, along with Flint City Council president Ladell Lewis, and state Rep. Cynthia Neeley, D-Flint, joined leaders with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), The Recycling Partnership and Grand Rapids-based Cascade Engineering to celebrate the delivery kickoff of more than 60,000 free 96 gallon trash carts and 64 gallon recycling carts to over 30,000 residential households.
“Today’s announcement is the final major step in transitioning Flint to a cart-based recycling program that will promote the largest recycling push in our city’s history,” Mayor Neeley said during an outdoor news conference at Rollingwood Park, where models of the city’s new dark gray trash containers and blue recycling receptacles adorned with “Flint Strong” logos were on display.
The city’s previous recycling program required residents to provide their own waste and recycling receptacles to hold materials at the curbside. The new rolling, lidded recycling carts manufactured by Cascade Engineering are projected to increase the amount of materials recycled in Flint from 624 tons per year to 5,400 tons annually – a 750 percent increase – as well as improve recycling access, inspire more resident participation and enhance safety for sanitation workers.
The Flint cart rollout features multiple funding sources. The city is receiving a $1 million EGLE grant to help the city purchase and provide the free recycling carts. In addition, The Recycling Partnership, a purpose-driven organization, awarded a $3.3 million grant to help support Flint’s effort to modernize its waste management program and expand access to recycling.
“Expanding and modernizing Flint’s recycling infrastructure is a key goal of EGLE and the State of Michigan,” Strong said. “Our $1 million EGLE grant is an investment in the City of Flint that will help all residents across the city have convenient and equitable access to recycling opportunities.”
Together with its partners, including Midland-based Dow Inc. and the PepsiCo Foundation, The Recycling Partnership mobilizes investment to support local communities by modernizing facilities and expanding access to recycling in communities of all sizes.
Since 2020, The Partnership has teamed with EGLE to deploy 245,000 recycling carts in more than 30 communities across Michigan, serving a combined population of over 1 million Michiganders.
By transitioning to a cart-based collection program, the City of Flint is adopting an industry-recognized best-management practice to set the city up for immediate and long-term success. Of the 821 cities in the U.S. with populations over 50,000 people, 78 percent have carted collection.
