HANCOCK — Thirty projects statewide, including two in the Upper Peninsula, have received funding to advance reuse, repair, and recovery of materials and grow markets for recycled materials

The projects from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors will share $5.6 million in Circular Economy Grants to advance recycling and develop Michigan’s circular supply chains.

The Circular Economy Grants are funded by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energ as part of NextCycle Michigan, an accelerator program advancing innovative business and community solutions to build Michigan’s circular economy, minimize waste, and increase recycling.

The grants, from $50,000 to $250,000, will support the development of supply chains in Michigan involving waste material streams through material reuse, repair, remanufacturing, recycling, organics recovery, composting, and increasing markets for recovered materials.

The pair in the U.P. are:

≤ Ed’s Used Parts and Salvage, Hancock: $116,685 to buy equipment to prepare organic materials for composting on site, establishing the first municipal waste separation and organics recycling facility in the western Upper Peninsula.

≤ Ramme’s, Ironwood: $150,000 to buy equipment and hire additional staff to recycle copper from holiday lights, extension cords, and many other plastic-coated copper-containing materials.

“The Circular Economy Grants fund innovation and collaboration to reimagine the reuse and recycling of materials,” said Matt Flechter, recycling markets specialist with EGLE. “Through programs like NextCycle and accompanying grants, Michigan is progressing toward the goal of a 30% recycling rate by 2029. Michigan’s economy and our environment both benefit when we attract and grow innovative businesses like these.”

Applications came from across the state, plus a few out-of-state entities, demonstrating overwhelming interest and need for solutions to address otherwise wasted materials. In all, 71 applicants requested more than $12 million.

The 30 grant recipients represent urban, rural, and suburban areas throughout Michigan’s two peninsulas. Six selected projects will positively impact Historically Underserved Business Zones.

These projects will impact 17 material categories, with food waste being the largest (23%), followed by plastics (10%). Projects’ focus areas include developing commercialization of products that use recycled materials or create a market for recycled materials (40%); new or improved collection or sorting of recovered materials (37%); and upstream solutions with reuse, repair, or remanufacturing (20%).

— From a Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy press release