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Writer's pictureNatalie Jakub

How to add an amenity your tenants want: Expanding Recycling Access in Detroit

According to Neighborly, when deciding where to live, 70% of renters will strongly consider a place that recycles, yet less than 40% of Detroit apartments offer it. For a limited time, Green Living Science is ready to not only provide you with this amenity, but offer recycling education to your residents and training to your custodial staff, so there’s no need to be a recycling expert… all for just $900 a year.


With help from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), Green Living Science is signing up multifamily properties for recycling. Providing your tenants with on-site recycling not only helps you stand out as a place to live, but helps clean up Detroit. We will be conducting a study to pioneer recycling initiatives in multifamily units — giving you even more bang for your buck. 


We have limited space for multi-family properties to participate in this study


Benefits of signing up for recycling before June 1st, 2024

  • Free ongoing educational resources for tenants

  • Tote bags by public threads made out of upcycled billboards for tenants to put carry their recycling to the dumpster

  • Recycling added to your list of amenities - putting you in a small % of properties in the city who have this amenity

  • Regular data collection to determine recycling improvements

  • Signage and training for maintenance and staff

  • A 450-gallon dumpster that the city will service weekly


Criteria for participation:

  • Multifamily properties with at least 15 units

  • The property must be up to date on taxes

  • Required payment for service fee for recycling; starting at $900/yr, which will be visible on your property taxes


In Detroit, only about 8% of waste is diverted away from landfills (2022/23). This number might be small, but there are ambitious targets to increase that to 15% by 2025, and 30% by 2030. Achieving these goals requires extending recycling services to multifamily units, of course. There are over 1,800 in the city, and integrating these apartment buildings into Detroit’s recycling infrastructure is necessary to reach the goals highlighted in the Sustainability Action Agenda. 


Get Involved

To see if you qualify for the study, fill out this short form. You will be contacted by Justine Abbo, our Recycling Program Manager or contact her directly at justine@greenlivingscience.org or 313-871-4000 x 701.

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