In 2018, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)’s Know It Before You Throw It campaign kicked off with six expert raccoons. The members, each with a specialty and personality that reflects their focus — plastic, cardboard, metal, paper, glass and everything else — teamed up to form none other than the Recycling Raccoon Squad.

In 2025, more than 800,000 tons of materials were recycled in curbside and drop-off programs—that's about 158 pounds of recycling per Michigander! Michiganders believe in recycling and support it, but many recyclers want to make sure they are doing it properly.