More options offered for recycling in Detroit

Recycle Here!, a joint venture between recy-clean, recycleDetroit, Capitol Waste and Detroit City Recycling has begun offering twice-weekly recycling at their drop-off site on Holden south of West Grand Boulevard. The Recycle Here! facility has replaced the previous city site located at Chene-Ferry.

Over 175 cars dropped off their recyclables at the Recyle Here!'s first Saturday of operation, Jan. 6.

The collaborative has also been contracted by the city to develop a long-term recycling plan for the city that recy-clean’s Matt Naimi believes will ultimately consist of a mix of “drop-off centers, buy-back programs (in apartment buildings and other high-density users) and curbside.” Furthermore, Recycle Here! will begin operating monthly mobile drop-off sites in each quadrant of the city beginning in June.

RecycleDetroit and recy-clean have already been working with neighborhood-operated monthly recycling ventures like those in Rosedale Park, Corktown and Midtown. They also do pick-ups at schools and universities (CCS and WSU), businesses and loft buildings, but this contract with the city will allow them to expand the educational component of their work, helping them reach more schools and small businesses that may not be aware how affordable and easy recycling can be.

Both Naimi and Kubik see nothing but growth in the Detroit recycling industry and have learned first-hand, by joining forces in 2005, the power of collaboration. “In 15 months, we created a service that has been needed for 20 years,” says Naimi.

Kubik points out that Recycle Here! is wholly Detroit resident-owned and -operated, and says that they are all committed to “creating a local economy that uses local services.”

Recyclables will be accepted at 1331 Holden, recy-clean’s headquarters, Wednesdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Information on what will be accepted can be found here.

Source: Sarah Kubik, Recycle Detroit and Matt Naimi, recy-clean

Photograph by Dave Krieger