This agreement provides funding from the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA)

This Project Grant award, provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Reduce, Reuse, Recycling Education and Outreach (REO) Grant Program (CFDA 66.921), will fund the Michigan Recycling Coalition's efforts to enhance recycling education and infrastructure across Michigan. The $1,821,886 award, effective September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2027, will support the following key activities:

• Organizing and delivering professional training sessions on waste reduction, recycling, composting, and other materials management topics for local government and industry personnel. This includes specialized workshops focused on organics management and food waste services.
• Updating and expanding the Master Recycler and Master Composter programs to increase regional engagement and provide training assistance.
• Developing educational resources and conducting outreach to the commercial sector to promote recycling and composting.
• Collecting data and evaluating outcomes related to changes in recycling rates, contamination levels, and community participation.

The project aims to increase waste prevention, recycling participation, and reduce contamination, with a focus on rural and disadvantaged communities in Michigan.

EPA's consumer recycling education and outreach (REO) grant program will fund a range of projects that will increase waste prevention activities, increase the collection of recyclable materials and program participation rates, and decrease contamination of the recycling stream, fund projects that focus on commonly recycled materials such as municipal solid waste (e.g., plastics, aluminum, paper, glass, etc.), including food waste and organics, and/or fund projects and provide tools and technical assistance that will lead to long-term, sustained change, benefits, and support beyond the life of the grant. The purpose of this award is to enhance the michigan recycling coalitions' efforts to meet the REO grants elements. Specifically, the michigan recycling coalition will the workplan outlined by the michigan recycling coalition encompasses a comprehensive strategy to enhance recycling education and infrastructure across michigan, with a focus on rural and disadvantaged communities. This involves offering professional development opportunities for materials management, including specialized training in composting and recycling, to improve skills and knowledge. Concurrently, the plan includes extensive community outreach and education efforts, such as developing and distributing educational materials, organizing workshops, and conducting outreach programs to increase recycling participation and reduce contamination. To assess progress, systematic data collection on recycling rates, contamination levels, and program participation will be implemented. Additionally, the plan aims to create jobs by hiring new staff for the michigan recycling coalition and supporting the establishment of recycling-related positions within michigan. Collaboration with various stakeholders, including state agencies, local governments, and private organizations, will be essential to fostering a comprehensive approach to recycling education and infrastructure enhancement. These activities are designed to meet specific performance metrics, including increasing the quantity and quality of recycled materials, engaging a significant number of communities, particularly those that are disadvantaged, and ensuring sustainability and replicability beyond the grant period.activities:michigan recycling coalition will perform the following activities; organizing and delivering professional training sessions for materials management, covering topics such as waste reduction, recycling, composting, and more. These training sessions will be conducted annually and will involve contracting services for facilitation, planning events, identifying locations, developing training materials, promoting the events, and evaluating their effectiveness. Additionally, specialized workshops will be held focusing on organics management topics, such as food waste services, compost site operations, and compost use and application. These workshops will also include contracting speakers, planning events, identifying locations, developing materials, promoting events, and offering scholarships for participants from rural and disadvantaged communities. Moreover, the master recycler and master composter programs will be updated and expanded, involving tasks such as updating training manuals, engaging regional representatives, facilitating train-the-trainer workshops, and providing financial assistance for training delivery. Furthermore, the project will create educational resources and conduct outreach activities aimed at the commercial sector, including developing an educational library, organizing presentations, and promoting the use of educational resources. Throughout these activities, data collection and evaluation will be conducted to measure outcomes, such as changes in recycling rates, contamination levels, and community participation. Finally, efforts will be made to ensure project susta