Cascade Engineering distributes free carts in Flint, Michigan

The Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has begun delivering more than 60,000 free 96-gallon trash carts and 64-gallon recycling carts from Grand Rapids-based Cascade Engineering to more than 30,000 residential households.

Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley joined Flint City Council President Ladell Lewis, state Rep. Cynthia Neeley, D-Flint, and leaders with EGLE, The Recycling Partnership, Washington, and Cascade Engineering to celebrate the delivery kickoff.

“Today’s announcement is the final major step in transitioning Flint to a cart-based recycling program that will promote the largest recycling push in our city’s history,” Neeley said during an outdoor news conference, where models of the city’s new dark gray trash containers and blue recycling receptacles adorned with “Flint Strong” logos were on display.

Attending the event with the mayor and local dignitaries were EGLE Director Phil Roos, Michigan Environmental Justice Public Advocate Regina Strong, Cascade Engineering Sales Manager Brian Miller, The Recycling Partnership Chief System Optimization Officer Cody Marshall and dozens of Flint residents and recycling advocates.

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The city’s previous recycling program required residents to provide their own waste and recycling receptacles to hold materials at the curbside. The new rolling, lidded recycling carts manufactured by Cascade Engineering are projected to increase the amount of materials recycled in Flint from 624 tons per year to 5,400 tons annually—a 750 percent increase—as well as improve recycling access, inspire more resident participation and enhance safety for sanitation workers. EGLE says.

Benefits of the new carts cited by Neeley include:

• helping sustain or lower collection costs over time relative to an un-carted program;
• reducing litter, helping control rodent and pest populations and enhancing community cleanliness; and
• making recycling and waste service easier for Flint residents.

“This is a truly historic accomplishment for the city of Flint,” Roos said. “We all know recycling helps us keep Michigan beautiful. Now, the city of Flint gets to be a larger part of that beautiful story.

“Many conscientious people in Flint 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 Flint residents don’t have their own recycling containers. This campaign we’re announcing today now allows all Flint residents to do their part. Recycling is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do.”

The Flint cart rollout was funded through multiple sources. The city is receiving a $1 million EGLE grant to help the city purchase and provide the free recycling carts. In addition, The Recycling Partnership awarded a $3.3 million grant to help support Flint’s effort to modernize its waste management program and expand access to recycling.

“Expanding and modernizing Flint’s recycling infrastructure is a key goal of EGLE and the State of Michigan,” Strong said. “Our $1 million EGLE grant is an investment in the city of Flint that will help all residents across the city have convenient and equitable access to recycling opportunities.”

Since 2020, The Recycling Partnership has teamed with EGLE to deploy 245,000 recycling carts in more than 30 communities across Michigan, serving a combined population of over 1 million residents.

Cities across Michigan and the entire U.S. have moved to lidded carts for garbage and recycling because manual collection has become increasingly dangerous and expensive. Prominent national and regional haulers have recently stated they will no longer bid on municipal contracts that are not carted, and deploying city-owned waste and recycling carts will help keep Flint’s operational costs manageable in the near term and future.

“Carts will help sustain or even lower collection costs over time relative to an un-carted program,” Lewis said. “Carts reduce litter, help control rodent and pest populations and will enhance community cleanliness in our beloved ‘Flint Strong’ city.”

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 the city of Flint’s curbside trash and recycling upgrades,” Miller said. “Roll carts have a life cycle of 10-20 years or more, and these new carts will be a part of the Flint 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.”