Every day, you likely use all kinds of plastic -- everything from water bottles to containers -- and you may be recycling those items, but are you doing it correctly?
You've probably seen the new commercial campaign with the Recycling Raccoon Squad.
It's part of a new effort by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy aimed at showing people how to recycle correctly.
The "Know It Before You Throw It" campaign wants to educate the public about best practices when it comes to recycling, Jill Greenberg said.
The most important thing to know? Empty and clean any product you intend to recycle before tossing it in the bin.
When you take those extra steps, it helps improve our recycling stream. Currently, in Michigan, we recycle 15% of plastic, and the organization's goal is to raise that to 30% by 2020.
"In fact, 15% is really low for the Great Lakes region," Greenberg said.
Karl Hattopp, from Clean Tech Recycling, wanted to demonstrate what happens when people recycle correctly.
Hattopp said Clean Tech Recycling takes the recycled bottles, such as laundry detergent bottles and water bottles, and turns them into pellets that are eventually transformed back into bottles.
To learn more about Clean Tech Recycling, visit the group's website, and to learn more about the new EGLE campaign and get more tips and information on recycling, click or tap here.
This article is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.