Mid Michigan Waste Authority - Get Into Recycle-Motion!

Impact

MMWA began as an idea between a number of Public Works directors who were interested in offering or bettering their community’s residential sold waste services. By cooperating together, they theorized that each community would likely be able to offer better/more/more cost effective solid waste services than if trying to do so individually. That idea became a reality in November 1991 with the formation of the then-named Saginaw Area Solid Waste Management Authority.

MMWA began offering curbside services to member communities in 1995. In the 15 years since the Authority began providing services, the number of households being serviced has gone from approximately 26,400 households to over 74,000 households. When yard waste season is underway, up to 32 trucks a day are required to collect trash, recycling and yard waste from those households. In a month, the Authority oversees the provision of more than 710,000 service points in its 35 member communities.

As Authority membership grew, so did the solid waste management system, in scope and size. Resident education and problematic waste item management emerged as areas needing focus, so programming was developed by MMWA to address those needs. As citizens generate more and more unwanted computers, old paint, used automotive fluids, lawn chemicals and other household chemicals, MMWA has led the way in developing programs to responsibly manage these materials.

To discover what recyclables were being trashed instead of recycled and why more people aren’t recycling, a waste audit and community based social marketing project were undertaken. This data helped direct the focus of public education programming to urge residents to follow the Recycling 2-Steps and how to get a recycling bin. Recycling rates rose in many communities, but there is still progress to be made, so updated versions of the recycling message remain important to get residents to start to recycling, as well as encourage recyclers to recycle more.

Our youth truly are the future, so MMWA invests heavily in educating them about the Recycling 4R’s. From the intensive school program, 4R Environmental Education Program, to the 4R Lending Library, with many books, lessons, craft sheets, curricula, CDs, videos, and educational poster, the Authority is the environmental education resource for the Saginaw Valley area.

This garbage guru status extends to other areas. MMWA is often asked to speak at business and interest group meetings on the programs it offers and the broad topic of Green Living. MMWA has receive numerous statewide awards for its innovative programming aimed at educating its citizenry and increasing the diversion of a variety of valuable recyclable materials from landfill disposal.

Programs

The Authority’s special waste programs focus on providing residents with environmentally friendly options for dealing with hard to handle wastes. These programs are generally offered at no charge to County residents.

Please click below for program details.

• Paint Renew
• Household Special Waste
• Electronics Recycling
• Public Area Recycling Project
• SCSWPC Quarterly Reports

MMWA State Recycling Awards

In 2007 and 2008, Mid Michigan Waste Authority (MMWA), was chosen to receive statewide recognition for its innovative programming aimed at educating its citizenry and increasing the diversion of a variety of valuable recyclable materials from landfill disposal. Each year, the Michigan Recycling Coalition recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations across the state who develop and/or implement innovative recycling, composting and waste management education programs. By recognizing and publicizing innovative programs, the MRC hopes to increase the effectiveness and profile of resource recovery efforts throughout the state.

2007 Awards

MMWA was honored as 2007 Recycler of the Year in the Outstanding Recycling Education Program category for its comprehensive, innovative school education programming. MMWA won the statewide award for the wide repertoire of programs and resources, aimed at grades Pre K – 8th grade, it has developed since 2001. These resources range from teaching resource tools, such as books, activity books and curricula, to a comprehensive, year long in-school program, called 4REE. To ensure accessibility to programming, all of the Authority’s school programming is provided at no cost to interested schools.

MMWA’s intensive school environmental education outreach program, its flagship program, is the 4R Environmental Education Program (4REE). From 2001 to 2007, 29 schools participated in 4REE, sharing 4R lessons with 11,854 students and diverting more than 180,480 pounds of paper from the wastestream to the recyclables stream.

The Environmental Education Presentation Program (E2P2), which offers one-time classroom lessons in environmental stewardship taught by MMWA staff, has provided schools with over 135 lessons have been taught to groups of Pre K- 8 from 2005 to 2007. The Authority’s Green Goods Kit, available for free loan to educators and other interested groups, stresses the importance of buying products made from recycled content, while the 4R Lending Library features books, videos, lesson plans and curricula from K-12, on topics ranging from recycling to composting to waste reduction, and are available in a variety of formats, including lesson plans, story books, art projects and videos.

The Authority also received a 2007 Spotlight Recognition for its participation in the Children’s Zoo Arctic Zoo Fest, featuring a Recycled Milk Jug Igloo.

2008 Awards

In 2008, MMWA was awarded Recycler of the Year for Outstanding Reuse Program and for Outstanding Public Area Recycling Program by the Michigan Recycling Coalition (MRC). The Authority also received a MRC Spotlight Recognition Award for developing recycling bin distribution event kits for its members to use in offering recycling bin giveaways.

The 2008 Recycler of the Year for Outstanding Reuse Program recognized the innovation and effectiveness of MMWA’s Paint ReNew Program, which focuses on waste paint recycling and reuse. This program was implemented in late 2004 to offer residents a means for managing, reusing and recycling unwanted latex paint. Over the succeeding three years, the Paint ReNew program grew in scope and partners, working with 9 retail locations and one municipal office to accept both latex and oil-based paint for reuse. From 2005 to 2008, the Paint ReNew program diverted over 104,000 lbs of latex and oil-based paint from being landfilled, equivalent to 16,690 gallons.

MMWA received the 2008 Recycler of the Year for Outstanding Public Area Recycling Program for its partnership program, Hop to It, Recycle!, with the Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square in Saginaw. MMWA developed a recycling program for the Zoo to divert not only single-use beverage containers generated by zoo guests, but also corrugated cardboard generated through facility operations. Special educational signage for Hop to It was developed, with funding assistance from the Dow Corning Foundation, with a variety of messages that connect recycling with the animals and activities at the Children’s Zoo.

MMWA’s received the new Spotlight Recognition Award from MRC for the Authority’s development of a how-to and publicity design kit for members to use in putting together a recycling bin distribution event. These events are a low-cost and effective means for helping increase recycling participation by getting bins out to residents. When asked, “why don’t you recycle?” as part of MMWA’s 2006 community based social marketing survey, residents most frequently cited not having a recycling bin as one of the biggest deterrents to participating in their community’s recycling program.

Communities

The Mid Michigan Waste Authority was formed in 1991 and began offering residential waste services in 1995. Since formed, 35 municipalities in the greater Saginaw area have joined to participate in creating and maintaining the regional solid waste management system. MMWA staff provide member communities with residential curbside services oversight, contract and services billing management, technical assistance and advice on solid waste management issues.

Select a link below to view information about our member communities:

• Albee Township
• Bethany Township
• Birch Run – Village
• Birch Run Township
• Blumfield Township
• Brady Township
• Brant Township
• Breckenridge – Village
• Bridgeport – Village
• Buena Vista Township
• Carrollton Township
• Chapin Township
• Chesaning – Village
• Chesaning Township
• Frankenmuth – City
• Frankenmuth Township
• Fremont Township
• James Township
• Jonesfield Township
• Kochville Township
• Lakefield Township
• Maple Grove Township
• Marion Township
• Merrill – Village
• Richland Township
• Saginaw – City
• Saginaw Township
• Spaulding Township
• St. Charles – Village
• St. Charles Township
• Swan Creek Township
• Thomas Township
• Tittabawassee Township
• Wheeler Township
• Zilwaukee – City

Recycle-Motion

Sorting recyclables from one’s trash is second nature to many of us however, for the majority of Americans, recycling isn’t a regular habit. Changing behavior and gaining recycling participation has been a goal of Mid Michigan Waste Authority (MMWA) since its founding in 1991.

Beginning in 2008, MMWA launched a new public education campaign, “Get into Recycle-Motion”. The campaign has at its core a theme song, The Recycle-Motion, using the tune of the hit song The Locomotion. Lyrics for The Recycle-Motion were written by Iris Waste Diversion Specialists, public education and information contractor.

Along with a new campaign logo, MMWA’s website was renamed Recyclemotion.org and was launched and promoted through a variety of methods including radio advertisements, live radio programs, print advertising in local newspapers and magazines, and outdoor billboard advertising. The Recycle-Motion message is used not only to educate residents about recycling, but also to reduce waste, in tandem with MMWA’s slogan, Too Much Trash Means Wasted Cash.

At every public event that MMWA participates in or sponsors the public will see and experience the Recycle-Motion theme. They will see splashy Recycle-Motion banners, get active with Recycle-Motion games and sing The Recycle-Motion theme song while playing Recycle-Motion band instruments. They may receive a Recycle-Motion t-shirt made from recycled PET bottles and walk away temporarily embellished with a Recycle-Motion tattoo.

In 2010, after 2 years of branding Get into Recycle-Motion, the campaign made a shift to further impress upon residents the importance of recycling by asking, Are You in Recycle-Motion?