The City of East Lansing received more than聽$18,000 in grants from the聽Michigan Department of Environmental Quality聽 to further its recycling programs.
A recycling infrastructure grant gave the city $14,760, and with additional funds from the city, around $20,000 will be spent to improve infrastructure, Environmental Services Administrator Cathy DeShambo said.
Part of that program will include increasing the 鈥減arrot green鈥� recycling containers on the sidewalks of greater downtown East Lansing.
The East Lansing Family Aquatic Center, the Hannah Community Center, parks and more will receive more containers. Around 20 will be installed with the grant money.
鈥淲e want to make sure that anywhere you go in our greater downtown, you have adequate recycling to use as you need,鈥� DeShambo said.
Right now, there is no consistent styrofoam recycling, but the community has been asking for it, DeShambo said.
鈥淲e cannot add styrofoam to our curbside, single stream recycling,鈥� DeShambo said. 鈥淥ur processor absolutely will not allow it.鈥�
However, with the grant a styrofoam recycling drop-off location will be created. It will be added to the city鈥檚 drop-off center located at the聽East Lansing Department of Public Works, 1800 E. State St.
The city was also awarded $4,000 for a recycling education grant, and with additional funds from the city, will spend a total of more than $7,000 to improve recycling knowledge.
“The recycling education grant really focuses on education outreach to our residents about recycling,鈥� DeShambo said. 鈥淲e find that we鈥檙e educating twice a year with new groups of people coming in.鈥�
The city’s efforts will focus on contamination awareness campaigns to stop people from recycling items that cannot be recycled and educating residents to make their recycling process as easy as possible, DeShambo said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really, really important that we have that kind of outreach and we have good, strong materials to give to residents so they can completely understand the recycling program and how it works,鈥� DeShambo said. 鈥淲e want them to enjoy the recycling program and not get frustrated if we鈥檙e not taking the recycling because it鈥檚 contaminated.鈥�
Receiving both grants is great for East Lansing鈥檚 recycling program, Deshambo said.
“We get very excited identifying areas where we can grow and do better and then bringing that to fruition with our residents,鈥� DeShambo said. 鈥淲e do have a climate sustainability plan and one of the major goals of that plan is waste reduction. It鈥檚 something that we work on continuously.鈥�
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