Overview
- EGLE, which announced the new figures Wednesday on Earth Day, reported a 26% statewide recycling rate for fiscal 2025.
- Michiganders recycled more than 800,000 tons last year, a haul EGLE likened to 10 Mackinac Bridges and enough to fill three football stadiums plus the Detroit Zoo.
- The rate rose for a fifth straight year, up one point from 2024, yet it still trails the U.S. average of 32%.
- State data say recycling and reuse support more than 72,000 jobs and generate over $17 billion a year for Michigan’s economy.
- The Earth Day event at Detroit’s DNR Outdoor Adventure Center taught fourth‑ and fifth‑graders how to sort materials with EGLE’s Recycling Raccoon Squad, part of a push toward a 30% goal from a roughly 14% pre‑2019 baseline.