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Regional recycling outreach: Metro mayors grant will fund cart-tagging pilot in Zion
Summary
Presenters from Swelco and Greenlit Solutions described an EPA-funded, Metro Mayors Association subaward supporting grassroots recycling education, cart tagging and a creative countywide campaign that will include Zion as a targeted community.
Zion — Representatives from Swelco/Metro Mayors Association and Greenlit Solutions outlined an EPA-funded recycling outreach program that will run through 2026 and include a focused pilot in Zion.
Walter Willis (representing Swelco/Metro Mayors Association) said the program is supported by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant and that the Metro Mayors received a $2,000,000 award for a countywide creative rollout; Swelco received an $83,000 subaward to focus local efforts in Zion, Waukegan and parts of Chicago. Willis said, “we did get a US EPA grant, and the main purpose of that grant is to increase participation in recycling and to cut down on confusion and contamination of what people are putting in their recycling cart.”
Frank Perez of Greenlit Solutions described planned grassroots work: door‑to‑door engagement, school outreach, tabling at local events and a four‑week cart‑tagging pilot in targeted neighborhoods. Perez said the tagging effort will mark recycling carts with a “good job” tag when rules are followed and provide corrective information when contamination is found. He noted prior pilots showed substantial behavior change, reporting that in past efforts about 40% of carts were initially tagged for incorrect sorting and that direct feedback reduced that share.
Presenters asked for local collaboration on outreach (including bilingual materials and use of the city newsletter and Facebook page) and said they will provide sample brochures and postcards that the city can distribute. The program team said the broader creative rollout and mascot reveal are scheduled for October, and that Zion would be part of the 2026 on‑the‑ground push tied to the multi‑year grant.
No formal council action was required for the presentation. Council members and staff expressed support and discussed coordination with schools, township summer crews and the city newsletter.
