Recycling County-Wide Community Engagement Sessions Scheduled – Public Invited to Provide Input
Community leaders are coming together to investigate the opportunities and challenges of recycling, and they want your input. A series of public engagement sessions are being held throughout Shiawassee County during February, March, and April (see schedule below)
“We are all leaders,” said facilitator Kari Krantz, “and we want everyone’s input. Future successful recycling initiatives throughout the county can only happen if they are supported by area residents.”
Key stakeholders in the effort, representing local governments, business groups, and community nonprofits, are working together to identify opportunities, build a sustainable economy, create jobs, reduce environmental impacts, and improve the quality of life for all residents. The Cook Family Foundation is providing logistical support for the collaborative effort.
“We already have a number of strong recycling assets in our community,” said Tom Cook, Executive Director of the Cook Family Foundation. “They include the DJ Root Recycling Center and the Greater Laingsburg Recyclers. Businesses like Great Lakes Fusion are discovering the economic opportunities in sustainable practices.”
A new State law (Part 115 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act) requires Shiawassee County to submit a comprehensive plan that demonstrates new mechanisms to reduce existing materials waste presently going to landfills. Plans must include a description of how communities are engaged in the planning process. Development of the plan is the responsibility of the Shiawassee County Materials Waste Management Committee. 
So far, 14 organizations have joined in this collaborative effort by signing a Charter (see below) outlining the mission, vision and goals they have to promote the economic, environmental, and community benefits of recycling. The Shiawassee Community Recycling Workgroup is not a governmental entity and lacks any authority to make changes in public or private practices. Rather, the group exists to provide a central clearinghouse for information, to gain input from the public, and to help participant organizations achieve their own goals.
The cities of Corunna and Owosso, Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners, the Cook Family Foundation, Greater Laingsburg Recycling, Michigan Recycling Coalition, Shiawassee Health Department, Shiawassee County Materials Management Committee, Shiawassee Community Foundation, Shiawassee Health and Wellness/DJ Root Recycling, Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce, Shiawassee Regional Education Service District, and The Arc Mid-Michigan are all on board. Several other organizations are reviewing the county-wide Recycling Charter with plans to adopt it in the next few weeks.
Public input began with a series of Youth Engagement Sessions, designed to tap into the ideas of local high school students. A culminating outcome of these sessions is to involve high school students from all county districts in developing unique recycling initiatives with start-up funds allocated for each district. High school students from Corunna, Morrice, and Owosso have already participated in a session in their home schools and are eager to work on recycling projects to be implemented this spring.
Community engagement specialist Kari Krantz is leading a series of listening sessions starting this month. The schedule for the Community Engagement Sessions is as follows (PREREGISTER HERE):
Recycling Community Engagement Sessions
Thursday, April 3 Laingsburg United Methodist Church 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8 Byron Municipal Building 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 9 Morrice Elem School 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 Owosso Armory 12:30-2:00 p.m.
For additional information about the Community Engagement Sessions or the High School youth activities, please email Kari Krantz, at info@kskconsultancy.com or call (989) 277-6531.
For general information about this county-wide effort, please contact Lorraine Austin at the Cook Family Foundation at (989) 277-7337.
CHARTER – Shiawassee Recycling Community Workgroup
The Shiawassee Recycling Community Workgroup has come together to achieve the following:
Vision: The Owosso and Shiawassee region will have a robust recycling program that builds a stronger, sustainable local economy.
Mission: Through collaboration, we will work together to identify opportunities to build a sustainable economy, create jobs, reduce environmental impacts, and improve the quality of life for all residents.
Goals: Collaborate, Participate, Build
1. COLLABORATE in the Exchange of Information and Ideas
a. Work with private sector intermediaries (e.g. Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership and Shiawassee Chamber of Commerce) to identify opportunities for new local businesses, economic development, and increased employment, especially for those who face challenges entering the workforce
b. Bring together public and private stakeholders with an active interest in waste reduction, recycling, and resource recovery to learn from one another and find areas for collaboration
c. Inform and educate the public on waste reduction and recycling issues and opportunities and make available reports and information gathered by the Task Force
2. PARTICIPATE and Host Community Listening Sessions
a. Assist local governments to meet state and federal materials management requirements
b. Make waste reduction and recycling a starting point of local efforts to build a sustainable, resilient community
c. Help build public awareness for the many benefits of waste reduction and recycling and support public engagement activities on this topic
d. Include youth in the planning process to ensure future generations will benefit from present day investments. Offer leadership opportunities and seek their insights.
3. BUILD a Local Recycling Economy
a. Help assemble competitive grant applications for state/federal funds made available for waste reduction, recycling, climate resiliency, and sustainable business; identify local matching grants where applicable.
b. Leverage existing community assets, both private and public, that support waste reduction, recycling and sustainability efforts.
c. Help build and support a robust local economic waste reduction and recycling ecosystem to generate resource materials and create new products and markets.
d. Create local jobs (especially for the underemployed and others having difficulty entering the job market) and identify job training and career/technical education opportunities.