A new program aims to educate residents on recycling practices so that more recycling content can be recycled and less is sent to the landfill. Mike Csapo is an executive who manages a very large recycling program in Oakland County. His company is called the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC) and handles recycling efforts for 284,000 people in Farmington, Farmington Hills, Milford, Milford Twp., Novi, South Lyon, Southfield, Walled Lake, and Wixom.

The company operates drop-off sites in Novi and Southfield, and the largest problem he sees is people are bagging up their recyclables. According to the Detroit Free Press, when residents bring their recyclables in plastic bags they cannot open them because they don’t know what is in them. So the bags are pulled from recycling bins and disposed of in landfills. “When we did our analysis of what Oakland County residents are bringing to recycle at our drop-off sites in Novi and Southfield this summer, we learned that bagged recyclables are the most common mistake people make.”, Csapo told the Detroit Free Press.

According to Csapo that actually is some good news. “I believe that’s a relatively easy fix for us to inform people about, and I’m excited for RRRASOC to begin a comprehensive new education campaign with The Recycling Partnership that can get our residents to recycle more and better and will have a big impact in the communities we serve.” His goal is to educate people on how to properly deposit their recyclables. So his company is joining forces with a Saginaw-based non-profit called Iris Waste Diversion Specialists to create the Recycling Partnership. A first of its kind collaboration for Michigan and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

To read the full story, visit https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2020/11/04/new-program-aims-to-improve-recycling-by-educating-residents/.
Author: Charlie Forbes, 62 CBS Detroit
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

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