Michigan communities are struggling to introduce curbside recycling, four years after the state set a goal to make it available to nearly all homes in urban areas but imposed no penalties for communities that missed the mark.
There has been progress, with about 8-in-10 Michiganders able to recycle at their curb last year, up from just under 6-in-10 two years prior, according to Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy reports. But many communities still lack service and multifamily housing, like apartments, especially lack access to recycling.
Michigan is still short of its goal to have curbside recycling in 90% of single-family homes in urban areas by January 2026 and 90% of homes in other large municipalities by January 2028.
Some communities say they haven’t yet built the systems needed to meet the state’s deadlines.
In Dickinson County, the Iron Mountain-Kingsford-Norway urban area was required to have curbside recycling service available by Jan. 1 under Michigan’s new recycling benchmarks. However, local officials say expanding access has been slowed by infrastructure limitations like not enough garbage trucks, cost concerns and challenges creating a system that works for residents.
“A lot of that in our area is logistical,” said Ryan Carrigg, a community planner working on the region’s materials management plans. “We don’t have infrastructure in place to accommodate it at this time.”