WWRA Awards and Achievements

Recycling Achievements

  • The WWRA services an average of 1,320 Chelsea households per week
  • The WWRA has over 60 businesses who recycle with us weekly
  • The WWRA collected 3,300 tons or 6,599,540 lbs of material in 2012 prior to converting to single stream commingled recycling
  • The WWRA collected 6,562 tons or 13,124,000 lbs of material in 2014, only 2 years after conversion
  • The WWRA collected 6,601 tons or over 13,203,880 lbs of material in 2025
  • The WWRA is known for commodity purity, and we hold our product to a high standard

Government Awards

  • 2019: Washtenaw County's Environmental Excellence award in Waste Reduction and Recycling

Grants

  • 2022 Recycling Partnership and Michigan EGLE Recycling Quality Improvement Grant: funded mailers, informational cards, curbside and drop off bin audits, and in person bin site surveys
  • 2022 EGLE Recycling Infrastructure Grant: allowed the WWRA to purchase the Machinex SamurAI recycling robot, a 2022 AutoCar ASL curbside recycling truck, and 200+ 96g curbside recycling bins.
    • Our SamurAI averaged 12,000 picks/day in 2024
  • 2026 Michigan Recycling Coalition Recycling Education & Outreach Award: Stay tuned!

Employment Achievements

  • The WWRA has 11 full time employees
  • We pride ourselves on supporting our employees with full benefits and work-life balance
  • The average WWRA employee has been with us for 10 years
  • Our Facility Manager Marc Williams has been with the WWRA since 2007

WWRA Donation Bins

  • 2015: Michigan Humane Society x American Textile Recycling Service for 154,966 lbs of textiles collected (drop off bins)
  • 2017: Michigan Humane Society x American Textile Recycling Service for 183,792 lbs of textiles collected (drop off bins)