Category: Quick Reads

Stories that take three minutes or less to read.

3 Easy Ways to Protect Recycling Workers

Posted on by Samuel Batali
The words Recycle Right beside a green Keep It Up thumbs-up sticker.

Why Should you Care?

blank

As a total recycling lover, you help improve Michigan’s environment and boost the economy with each recyclable that goes into your curbside cart. To make the most of your recycling, safety is key!

Believe it or not, keeping recycling workers safe also ensures that your recyclables get a second chance. And the best part is that you can do both in just three steps.

Take it from Matt Van Benten, operations supervisor at the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC) Material Recovery Facility in Southfield. “Safety is huge here — it’s our No. 1 concern, and it’s our No. 1 problem.”

As he sorted through a box of potentially dangerous items that were pulled from the MRF’s conveyor line, he found items that don’t belong in curbside recycling.

“There are homes for them, but your local recycling bin is not it.”

— Matt Van Benten

Sharps

Sharps can easily injure workers while they move down the conveyor. Objects that should be kept out of curbside recycling include:

  • Needles
  • Scissors
  • Knives

Medical sharps have specific programs and locations available for easy disposal.

Sharps that don’t fit into medical waste, like scissors, can often be taken to local household hazardous waste collection events.

Bags

Bags can hide among paper and plastic materials, which makes them a bit tricky for recycling workers since, as Van Benten said, “You don’t know where it is.” Not only can they clog up sorting machines, but they can also hide hazards from recycling workers — which means it’s safer to dispose of them when materials are being sorted.

Leave your recyclables loose in your curbside cart and clear of tanglers like plastic bags, string lights and hoses. As for the plastic bags, those can be taken right back to a local grocer, like Meijer or Kroger.

Electronics

The last item you should keep FAR from your curbside cart are batteries or any kind of electronic.

Get the full battery breakdown

“We’ve had explosions and fires here caused by things like this,” Van Benten said. And that’s why electronic devices are a no-no. Things like cellphones, laptops and tablets are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which can explode when crushed or shaken.

A wide-eyed raccoon in front of flames as a cellphone, laptop and battery pack fall around him.

Instead, return them to a local electronic retailer like Best Buy, Home Depot and more.

Pop (Can) Quiz + Answers

Posted on by Samuel Batali
A raccoon lifts a pair of blue glasses beside the words Pop Quiz.

Howdy, humans! So, you found our quiz and want to test your recycling knowledge? Or maybe you’re just sniffing around for more recycling rules. Whatever the reason, the Recycling Raccoon Squad has gathered the answers below. 👇

True!

Not much more to say than envelopes with plastic windows are A-OK!

False!

Styrofoam and other foam materials are NOT recyclable curbside. This is mainly because of their porous nature (they hold on to air and contaminants). Some centers and programs will accept them, but otherwise they can be thrown away.

False!

As long as it’s crumb- and cheese-free (without a drenching of grease), your pizza box is recyclable. We were so jazzed, we even made a page where you can check your grease level.

False!

Glass is actually one of the MOST recyclable materials because it can be recycled again and again and again and aga — you get it.

That means mason jars, food jars, glass bottles are all recyclable curbside!

False!

Some can be recycled at drop-off centers but NOT in your curbside recycling cart. See what Gladys Glass says about light bulbs.

False!

Please, NO! Bags tangle up recycling machines. Keep them FAR from your curbside cart and take them to a local grocer instead (like Meijer or Kroger).

True!

We’re biased, of course, but a nocturnal caper just hits different when you have night vision.

True!

YES! Breaking your cardboard down leaves room for even more recycling!!

A raccoon in a denim jacket with a purple mohawk beside a light bulb and the word Knowledge.

So, how’d you do? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram.

It Came From the Recycling Cart: Frank’s Origin

Posted on by Samuel Batali
Frank the raccoon in a teal bandana on a moonlit street of houses at night.

Psst — the color-coded ✱ icons in this story are clickable. Tap one for a recycling rule, a recycling benefit or a bit of need-to-know trivia.

The night was dark. His surroundings coated in dew from a dense fog. And Frank was face down in a recycling cart. The only sound was the rustling of common household recyclables as You found a recycling basic! Plastic, metal and glass containers should be rinsed (or carefully licked clean) before being recycled curbside.he licked forgotten yogurt cups, orange juice bottles and bean cans clean.

Frank leans into an open blue recycling cart filled with a yogurt cup, a jug and a can.

That’s when he heard it. A sound that made his ears shoot up. Frank peered out of the recycling cart to look around him. Nothing. Frank returned to his work when again … tap, tap. Tap. Tap, tap.

When he looked out, he saw only the neighboring recycling cart. Something was inside.

Frank’s fur stood on end as he drew nearer. A blur of white shot at him and wrapped around his back paw. Frank hissed — kicking until he saw the blur was a plastic bag … Did you know, tanglers are items that tangle up recyclables, recycling machines and raccoons. Plastic bags, however, can be taken back to local grocers like Meijer and Kroger for recycling.a tangler.

A startled Frank stands beside a recycling cart with a coiled garden hose tangled inside it.

That couldn’t have made the sound, so what had? Frank continued forward and lifted the lid to see the cart was full of … tanglers! He fell back at the sight, scrambling behind a nearby tree as images of what he had seen flashed through his mind. FYI: String lights, rope, wires and hangers are all included in the tangler category and should be kept FAR from your curbside cart.String lights, rope, wire and even hangers — all stuffed inside a recycling cart. And all coiling around common household recyclables.

If these items made it back to a recycling center, they could tangle a sorting machine and stop You found a recycling benefit! Recycling helps items become something new, rather than lying in a landfill.loads of recyclables from becoming new items! Frank was frantic as he rushed back to the cart. He didn’t have time for fear. He had to save the recyclables!

His paws worked feverishly to yank tangler after tangler, even as they tangled around him. In his mind, he could hear his mother Pearl’s voice: “You found a recycling benefit! In Michigan, recycling and reuse industries support more than 72,500 jobs and can save up to 95% of energy.Rope: Cut into smaller sections before placing in your trash.Hangers: Place in curbside trash.String Lights: Look for local drop-off options.Hoses: Remove the metal ends and take to a specialty recycler or cut the hose into smaller sections before placing in your trash.Wire: Look for local options that will buy old wire or take to a specialty recycler.Recyclables save energy and help the economy, Frank. That’s why it’s our duty to save them in return … ”

Frank pulls a hose, a hanger and a spool of string lights up out of a recycling cart.

Finally, the unfettered recyclables lay loose in the recycling cart, but Frank knew he wasn’t done. He had to get rid of the tanglers — properly. And yet, as he pulled the last one out of the cart, his strength left him and he passed out on the soft grass.

“Awrite, laddie? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost!”

“Oh man, he’s laid out.”

Frank blinked awake at two raccoons, one with a purple mohawk holding drumsticks and another with a plaid hat and paper bagpipes. They helped him up, asking about what had happened. As Frank explained, the two smiled and helped remove the tanglers. You found a recycling rule! Remember! While each tangler has its own disposal process, most can be donated or resold if they are in good condition!They disposed of each one before leading him to a small group they called … the Recycling Raccoon Squad.

Three raccoons meet on the street at night: one in a denim jacket with a purple mohawk, Frank in his teal bandana, and one in a plaid cap.

Michigan is the place to be this summer!

Posted on by Samuel Batali
Events website content graphic: Events MAINHeader 001

Do you find yourself wondering, “Where can I take this pile of old batteries?” or, “Are there any events happening in Michigan this week?” If so, the Recycling Raccoon Squad has your back!

Check out these upcoming events below!

Events website content graphic: Calendar Header 001
Events website content graphic: Calendar PopUp May 001
Events website content graphic: Calendar PopUp June 001
Events website content graphic: Calendar PopUp July 001
Events website content graphic: Calendar PopUp Aug 001
Events website content graphic: Calendar PopUp September 001
Events website content graphic: Calendar PopUp October 001

Want more details? Check the drop-down!

View the full event list

 

Extra, Extra — Read All About It: Paper Recycling’s Journey

Posted on by Samuel Batali
Paper Journey website content graphic: Paper MAINHeader 002

Did you know, thanks to recycling, your used paper doesn’t just disappear? It’s made into a slew of new items! ’Tis true. Take it from me, resident paper expert and bagpipe enthusiast Paper MacKay.

I’ve spent years getting my paws on all types of recyclable paper and have even toured a facility or two to get a behind-the-scenes look at the process. And trust me when I tell you, the journey your recycled paper goes on is truly magical.

First

It starts when your newspapers, magazines and envelopes (aye, even the ones with plastic windows on ’em) first enter your curbside recycling cart. Come pickup day, these items will be ferried off to a local recycling facility. As long as no other items in your bin have contaminated your paper (think food waste from unwashed glass or cheese residue in a pizza box), facility workers will sort and send that paper on to the next step.

Next

Once sorted and given the green light, your paper gets fed to a shredder! It’s torn asunder and made into a papery pulp.

Paper Journey website content graphic: Paper PopUp 002

This pulpy masterpiece is then washed to break down its fibers. Fun fact: One of the reasons paper recycling is so successful is because of these fibers! Unlike other materials that can be repurposed only two or three times, paper can be repurposed five to seven times before its fibers are too short and weak to be used again. Talk about high-fiber content!

Last

Once that pulp has taken a nice bath to break down the fibers, the big dogs (large rollers) come out. These are used to flatten the pulp and help it dry out into — you guessed it — new paper! This flattened and dried product is used as the base for a variety of new paper products, including:

  • Cereal boxes
  • Paper towels
  • Fast-food bags
  • Egg cartons
  • & more!

And that’s all she wrote when it comes to the life cycle of paper recycling! While the journey is as fascinating as it is pleasant, the environmental benefits of paper recycling cannot be understated either. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling just 1 ton of paper can save 380 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and enough energy to power the average American home for up to six months!

So, the next time you’re putting an envelope in your recycling bin or wheeling your cart to the curb, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

Paper Journey website content graphic: Paper BottoomHeader 001

The Plastic Recycling Process? That’s No Secret.

Posted on by Samuel Batali
Plastic Journey website content graphic: Plastic MAINHeader 002

Your recycling cart is just the first stop in a pretty amazing process. Trust me — Nyla P. Lastic. I’ve got the deets to show how sweet plastic recycling can be.

Plastic Journey website content graphic: Plastic BenefitHeader 001
Plastic Journey website content graphic: Plastic PopUp 002

First things first: It’s important to know your recycled plastic gets used to make all kinds of new items. Not only does it take less energy, water and other natural resources to create an item from recycled material, but recycled plastic can also make up 100% of the item it’s creating!

Let’s get into it!

After the ever-anticipated day arrives, your recycling truck takes off toward a local recycling center.

Then?

Your recyclables get sorted out! Non-recyclable items are removed (including any plastic bags), materials get grouped by color and the remaining recyclables get cubed into bales.

Plastic Journey website content graphic: Plastic PopUp Bales 002

The cube holding your item may be transferred to another recycling center at this point. Whether it heads on out or stays in the same place, the bale is cut up into small plastic flakes.

Next.

The flakes get washed to rid them of any remaining contaminants. This is also where your hard work rinsing your containers shines. Your effort helps keep excess residue out of the containers — which means fewer rounds of washing!

From there …

Your plastic items are dried and melted so they can finally become all sorts of new items!

Nyla says, for example …

  • Shampoo containers
  • Grocery bags
  • Yoga mats
  • Footwear
  • Backpacks
  • More recycling bins
  • & even more!
Plastic Journey website content graphic: Plastic BenefitFooter 002

Want eeeeeven more? Hear from our human friends at EGLE and Cascade Engineering in this video: https://recyclingraccoons.org/recycling-benefits/#Plastic

Recycled plastics gain new use

Posted on by Recycling Raccoons

Recycling in Michigan is at an all-time high, but Michigan’s business and environmental leaders say the state can’t afford to rest on its laurels.

Now more than ever, companies in the Great Lakes State are desperately seeking to include recyclables in the manufacturing of new products, especially recycled plastics.

The challenge? Convincing Michiganders the materials they put into their curbside bins are actually being recycled and not dumped in a landfill.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what really happens in recycling,” said Matt Flechter, recycling market development specialist with the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

“We need people to know recycling does make a difference and that their choices matter,” Flechter said.

Brian Miller, regional sales manager for Cascade Engineering, based outside Grand Rapids, is well aware of just how big of a difference recycled items, particularly plastics, can make for companies that rely on them as raw materials to fashion into new products.

In 2022, Cascade was able to use 3 million pounds of material recovered through curbside programs. Half of that total came from curbside materials that were used in production of its EcoCart, a curbside waste and recycling cart that is made partly with bulky rigid plastic taken directly from recycling programs and partners who contribute recyclable plastics from the automotive, furniture and custom compounding industries.

“And the reason it’s only 50% is because we can’t get enough (recycled) materials,” Miller said.

“If we had enough materials, we could go to 100% curbside materials in the production of our wheels, our carts and dash mats in our automotive plants,” he added. “We wouldn’t have to go to other sources. We can keep this material in the state of Michigan and utilize it in products manufactured here in Michigan.”

“In my 25 years, I’ve definitely seen an increase in recycled materials, so much that we’re putting it in silos now,” said Ronald Hoppa Jr., Cascade Engineering plant manager. “This way uses millions of pounds of recycled material a year.”

Recycling can also make a different in individual workers’ lives. Just ask Horace Cheney, a Cascade Engineering material handler.

“It’s a good place to work for and they give everybody the opportunity to learn and move up and progress — and impact the environment too,” he said.

Proper recycling practices protect the environment — and recycling workers

Posted on by Recycling Raccoons

Proper recycling practices — as encouraged by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) through its “Know It Before You Throw It” education campaign — are not only good for the environment and economy.

They’re also important for the safety of people who work at any materials recovery facility (MRF) throughout the state where items placed in recycling bins are sorted.

Just ask Matt Van Benten, operations supervisor at the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC) MRF in Southfield.

“Safety is huge here — it’s our No. 1 concern, and it’s our No. 1 problem,” Van Benten said as he sorted through a box of potentially dangerous items that were pulled from the MRF’s conveyor line, including a bladed instrument, scissors and a cellphone.

“These are the kinds of things we don’t want to see,” he said. “There are homes for these, but your local recycling bin is not it.”

The dangers posed by sharp objects such as blades and scissors are obvious — they can injure workers who are sorting items moving down the MRF’s conveyor line. They’re particularly troublesome because they’re often hidden among material such as paper and plastic, Van Benten said.

“You don’t know where it is,” he said.

Electronic devices such as cellphones and old laptops are a no-no because they’re powered by lithium-ion batteries, which can explode when crushed or shaken.

“We’ve had explosions and fires here caused by things like this,” Van Benten said. “We’d like to have the message out there … this is not how you deal with that. Please, do it the right way.”

Information on proper disposal of hazardous waste is available on the EGLE website.

Check out the accompanying video for more advice from Van Benten on how to help keep recycling workers safe.

Join the Squad!

Help Michigan become a leader in recycling again. Join the squad today. You don't need to be a raccoon – you just need to sign up!

After signing up for recycling news, you will receive occasional updates. We will not sell your email address to any third party at any time. View our privacy policy.

    © Copyright 2026, EGLE. All Rights Reserved.

    This website uses cookies

    We use cookies to personalize ads, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.