Township accepts grant for recycling carts

Laketown Township is making the next big push in expanding its recycling program by accepting a $117,414 state grant to buy about 2,200 recycling carts.

The board of trustees on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, unanimously approved the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy Recycling Infrastructure Grant. The award requires a contribution from the township of $23,483. The state picks up $93,931 of the cost.

Recycling carts will not be available for general use in the township until 2027.

The township also recently received a $7,500 Michigan Recycling Coalition Community Education Subaward to support resident education and outreach associated with the transition from the traditional yellow bags that are being phased out to be replaced by the 96-gallon rolling carts.

“If Laketown Township wishes to continue providing curbside recycling service, the township will need to transition to a cart-based system,” Laketown Township Deputy Clerk Zoey Hallam wrote to the board in her report on the grant. “The question before the township is therefore not simply whether to upgrade from bags to carts, but how best to make a necessary transition while minimizing the cost to township residents.”

Changes

Township residents use Republic Services for their residential waste and recycling services. The township negotiates the single-hauler contract which is set to expire in March 2027.

Republic has said the yellow bags are not going to be used in the future.

To test if residents are interested in cart-based recycling, the township is conducting a pilot program that started in June in a selected area of homes between 146th and 147th avenues, west of 64th Street. Invitations were sent to 147 households. More than 70 homes agreed to participate. After the six- to eight-month pilot concludes, the township will evaluate the results and determine next steps. 

During the first four collections, participating households recycled a total of 2.69 tons (5,380 pounds) of material, averaging about 71.7 pounds per household, Hallam wrote in her report.

“These results demonstrated a substantial increase in recycling collected compared with the township’s existing bag-based program and showed that the increased participation continued beyond the initial rollout of the carts,” she said.

The pilot program is funded through a seed grant of just under $10,000 from NextCycle Michigan, supported by EGLE. The grant pays for the recycling carts used in the study.

Republic Services is supporting the pilot with a dedicated truck to allow for accurate tracking of participation and material recovery.

What’s next

The board is beginning the process of updating its contract for waste and recycling services.

Supervisor Steven Ringelberg said he will have requests for proposals ready to be discussed at a board meeting in October. The requests could be sent to waste and recycling companies including Republic, Arrowaste and Waste Management.

The board could also decide to forgo a single-hauler service and allow residents to choose their own services.

Supporters of the single-hauler service say it decreases the number of trucks on the road, preserving the road surface and producing less pollution, and lowers prices for residents.

The township board meets twice in October: At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. Both meetings are at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road.

The state is requiring that 90 percent of single-family dwellings have access to curbside recycling by Jan. 1, 2028, in communities including Laketown Township.