Copper Country Recycling Initiative

Press release

Attention Copper Country Residents: Composting is in!  Cut down on the amount of trash you send to the landfill. Decrease methane gas in the atmosphere. Create soil for your garden. Enhance your flower beds and homegrown vegetables with nutrient rich material. Save money on what you would currently spend on compost.

Approximately one third of what we throw away is trash. Another third is recycling. The final third is compostable. We know that our single stream recycling is taken by Waste Management to the facility in Marquette where it is sorted, baled and shipped to factories. These recyclables are a valuable commodity that are turned into new materials.

Our trash goes to the landfill in Ontonagon County. You can keep compostable material out of the landfill by setting up your own home composting system.

Get a covered container in your kitchen for eggshells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable trimmings. (Most food items with the exception of meat and dairy).

When the bin is full, take it to the backyard bin or pile and mix it with an equal amount of leaves and grass clippings. Over time, it becomes rich soil. There are numerous resources online with instructions. Just Google “composting.”

Want an outside home composting bin? Transform a trash bin into a compost bin by drilling holes throughout and layering your food waste in the manner described above. For Houghton residents who have a 32-gallon recycling bin that is no longer able to be used in the current curbside pickup program, this could be an opportunity to repurpose it and start your compost system. There is information on the City of Houghton website www.CityofHoughton.com about transforming your bin with a link to instructions: https://youtu.be/XZyox5yLiMU. 

The mission of the Copper Country Recycling Initiative (CCRI) is to work toward a Zero Waste System, envisioning a community that not only recycles but creates less waste in our everyday lives. This includes reducing consumption, buying in bulk, avoiding packaging, purchasing items made with recycled materials, donating items for reuse, educating the community on environmental stewardship, and envisioning our trash as a resource.

For more information: www.coppercountryrecyclereuse.com.