Burgeoning Metro Detroit city’s plan to make recycling easier than ever before will help Madison Heights’ reach all-time highs for the amount of materials recycled each year with support from Michigan Dept. of EGLE
MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – The City of Madison Heights today is kicking off the largest expansion of recycling collection in the Metro Detroit city’s 70-year history with the distribution of more than 20,000 free curbside trash and recycling carts, supported by essential funding from the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
The new rolling, lidded recycling carts are projected to increase the amounts of materials recycled in Madison Heights to all-time record highs – from 1,000 tons per year to 1,500 tons per year, a 50% increase – as well as improve recycling access, inspire more resident participation and enhance safety for sanitation workers.
Madison Heights is spending $1.1 million to purchase the carts from Grand Rapids-based Cascade Cart Solutions, with almost half of the cost covered by a $403,200 EGLE Recycling Infrastructure grant in addition to a $105,600 grant from national nonprofit The Recycling Partnership to support the rollout.
“Thanks to the generous grant funding provided by EGLE and The Recycling Partnership, Madison Heights is moving toward a more sustainable and efficient waste management system for all residents. This rollout marks a major milestone for our community,” said Madison Heights Mayor Roslyn Grafstein.
“We all know recycling helps us keep Michigan beautiful. Now, Madison Heights gets to be a larger part of that beautiful story,” Grafstein said during a morning press conference that preceded the first installation of the cart rollout in a nearby neighborhood.
The city’s investment helps put Madison Heights on the map as among Michigan’s community recycling champions.
“The residents of Madison Heights’ commitment to recycling helps contribute to Michigan’s cleaner, more resilient future,” said EGLE Environmental Justice Public Advocate Regina Strong.
“By increasing our recycling rate, we not only conserve natural resources but also generate significant economic benefits, supporting over 72,500 jobs and injecting billions of dollars into our economy,” Strong said. “Every bottle, box, and can we recycle brings us one step closer to a sustainable Michigan where both the environment and our communities thrive.”
Each of the city’s 10,300-plus households will receive one 96-gallon Madison Heights-branded trash cart and one 64-gallon Madison Heights-branded recycling cart as part of the rollout that begins Monday. Aug. 18.
Both of the cart models produced by Cascade are made with 10% post-consumer curbside recycled material. As a woman-owned company and the only Michigan-based recycling and trash cart manufacturer, Cascade has rolled out over 40 million trash and recycling containers nationwide, including over 4 million receptacles in Michigan.
“Cascade is excited to be a small part of Madison Heights’ curbside trash and recycling upgrades,” said Cascade Engineering Sales Manager Brian Miller.
“Roll carts have a life cycle of 10-20 years or more,” Miller added, “and these new carts will be a part of the Madison Heights community for decades to come, contributing to blight control around the city as well as contributing to the State of Michigan’s recycling goals well into the future.”
All of the carts are expected to be delivered by Sept. 1, 2025. As part of the plan, Madison Heights will move to cart-only collection, effective on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. That means all Madison Heights residents beyond that date are required to use carts to dispose of their garbage and recyclables.
“Many conscientious people in Madison Heights have done their best to recycle, but most of the city’s potentially recyclable materials end up in trash containers and go to the landfill because many of our residents don’t have their own recycling containers,” said Jennifer Bartleman, of the Madison Heights Citizens Environmental Committee.
“This campaign we’re rolling out today allows all Madison Heights residents to do their part. Recycling is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do,” Bartleman said.
The city’s new collection system provides several important benefits:
- It will now be easier and faster than ever before in city history for Madison Heights residents, especially senior citizens, to recycle.
- Local taxpayers will benefit from an estimated $200,000 in annual savings compared to the previous refuse and recycling collection model, totaling approximately $1 million over the five-year collection contract with Clinton Township-based Priority Waste.
- Enclosed carts improve curbside appearance and reduce rodent activity.
- A universal recycling program that increases landfill diversion.
Materials that can be deposited in the recycling carts include:
- Plastic bottles and containers
- Aluminum and steel cans
- Glass bottles and jars
- Cardboard (flattened)
- Newspaper, junk mail, mixed paper — all colors and types
The city is launching a comprehensive outreach campaign to inform residents about the transition. This includes:
- Direct mailers with rollout information.
- Printed instructions that will be attached to each cart upon cart delivery.
- Educational content shared via social media, city newsletter, and local newspapers.
- A dedicated webpage at: https://www.madison-heights.org/Carts
Key program guidelines:
- Refuse and recycling must be placed in an approved cart for regular collection.
- Overflow material can be handled through special pickups or by purchasing additional approved carts.
- One bulk item per week will be collected at no charge on the regular collection day.
- Residents with disabilities may qualify for a door-side pickup service. Residents can contact the Department of Public Services with questions about the program.
“By helping Madison Heights residents and all Michiganders understand how to recycle and why it is so important, and by continuing to expand access to recycling services, we can help protect our natural resources and enhance the economy of our state,” said state Rep. Mike McFall, D-Hazel Park, whose legislative district encompasses Madison Heights and who spoke at the press conference.
EGLE announced this year the recycling rate in the Great Lakes State is at a record high, based on 2024 metrics. EGLE leaders attribute the state’s recycling success to its launch of the national award-winning “Know It Before You Throw It” education campaign featuring the Recycling Raccoon Squad, as well as EGLE funding for infrastructure and technical support for projects that increase access to recycling services across Michigan.
EGLE research shows Michigan has steadily increased its recycling rate from 14.25% before 2019 (when Michigan ranked among the nation’s lowest in recycling before the Recycling Raccoon campaign began) to 23% last year and an all-time high rate of over 25% now. EGLE forecasts that Michigan is on track to achieve the state’s goal of a 30% recycling rate by 2029.
In fiscal year (FY) 2024, Michiganders recycled more than 71,000 tons of glass, 329,000 tons of paper and paper products, and 56,000 tons of plastics and plastic products. The total amount of residential recycled materials reported for FY 2024 was 723,174 tons — exceeding the year before by more than 19,000 tons.
This equates to every person in Michigan recycling nearly 143 pounds of cardboard boxes, milk cartons, soup cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars, food waste and other recyclable materials over a 12-month span. The volume of materials Michiganders recycled in FY2024 equals the weight of 10 Mackinac Bridges and would fill the football stadiums of the Detroit Lions, University of Michigan and Michigan State University, as well as the hockey stadium of NCAA men’s national champion Western Michigan University.
