LANSING, Mich. — At first glance, it just looks like trash. Plastic. Paper. Empty milk jugs.
But in Lansing—where nearly 75% of residents have access to recycling—it’s not garbage. It’s a beginning.
Inside Lansing’s Recycling Facility, what looks like chaos…
is actually choreography—every can, carton, and bottle finding its place.
“The baler operator here can control what product we want to run, depending on how full any one particular bunker is at the time," says James Cole the Supervisor at the Lansing Recycling Center. "They just change the setting, open the door, and it works its way through—gets baled up. Then, as that product comes out, our forklift operator designates where it goes: naturals, colors, cardboard, mixed paper, newspaper, plastic, and UBC—which is our aluminum cans.”
James Cole says he has seen it all—unexpected treasures, strange surprises, and a whole lot of things that don’t belong.
"I believe people who recycle are good neighbors, because it eliminates so much more material going to the landfill than they realize. You know that one bin they put out to the road—yes, to them, it might not seem like much. But you add that up over months, over years—that’s an exceptional amount of material that doesn’t need to go to the landfill."
Across town, Erin Buitendorp is doing her part—with style. She says she has been recycling for years.
"Here is our trash with our label—and then this is not trash. I've actually got lots of things in here. Paper’s really easy, but you know, we’ve got our milk and so forth. I think people who recycle are good neighbors because they get it. They get what a small act can add up to. When you look at your neighbors doing the same thing, you can understand how an entire city doing it can really make a difference."
Lansing Sustainability Manager Lori Welch is proud of people who take time to recycle.
“I think people who recycle our good neighbors, because they get it. They get what a small act can add up to. When you look at your neighbors doing the same thing, you can kind of understand the entire city doing it can really make a difference.”
Since 2019, Michigan’s recycling rate has climbed from just over 14% to more than 23%—a record high.
And the numbers back it up. According to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy—EGLE—just one year’s worth of recycling here would fill Spartan Stadium, Ford Field, and the Big House.
That’s the kind of impact one community can make.
One of the people helping make that happen is Chris Hewitt.
"I want to reduce my impact on the environment and how much trash I produce that ends up in the landfill," says Chris. I know that when I recycle, I'm helping support the city's mission to reduce waste. And the stuff I do recycle often goes to local manufacturers who turn it into new products."
The truth is—this isn’t just trash. It’s a second chance. A small bin on the curb, a big act for the planet.
Because sometimes, being a good neighbor is as simple as knowing which bin to use.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
