Kalamazoo updates sustainability plan: net‑zero timeline, recycling gains and service improvements
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Summary
City staff reported progress toward a 2050 net‑zero goal, new renewable‑energy enrollment beginning in 2028, a 54% drop in curb contamination after a behavior program, and expanded recycling and composting programs including EPS foam collection and increased carts in 2025.
Justin Gish, the city’s sustainability planner, and Chris Broadbent, solid waste coordinator, gave the commission an update on the community sustainability plan and progress toward the city’s net‑zero emissions goal during the Feb. 16 committee of the whole meeting.
Net‑zero and emissions: Gish reviewed the city’s emissions accounting and said the municipality is targeting net‑zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. He presented scope 1 and 2 totals (baseline ~35,000 metric tons CO2e in 2022, rising to about 36,467 in the most recent reporting year), and said the city secured enrollment in Consumers Energy’s large‑scale renewable program that will supply roughly 48 million kilowatt‑hours of the city’s annual usage starting in 2028; staff estimated that participation could offset about 27,809 metric tons CO2e (about 76% under the program’s assumptions).
Operational gains and KPIs: Staff attributed a roughly 500 metric‑ton reduction in emissions to LED conversions of streetlights and traffic signals and reported that switching part of the vehicle fleet to biodiesel saved about 27 metric tons of CO2e. Gish said KPI targets are framed as desired trends through 2032; for example, curbside recycling tonnage was presented as 2,215 tons in the current condition versus a 2,500‑ton target. Gish and Broadbent said some year‑to‑year changes reflect inventory changes (for example a drop in building emissions when a building leaves the city's inventory).
Recycling, composting and materials management: Broadbent reported program results for 2025: contamination incidents at the curb decreased 54% following a behavior intervention funded by EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) and The Recycling Partnership; the city added 495 new carts in 2025 and maintained the contract tier with Republic Services; the brush collection program collected 174 tons (slide misprint corrected to 174 tons); leaf collection totaled 11,758 cubic yards; hazardous waste drop‑offs served over 2,300 city households; and EPS foam and electronics collection events diverted measurable volumes. Broadbent said tracking is robust for single‑family curb routes but that front‑end loaded multiunit containers are harder to measure with current routing and contractor data.
Access and equity questions: Commissioners asked how assisted curbside collection is provided for residents with disabilities or who are homebound; Broadbent said Republic Services offers an assisted/backdoor service and that residents can request setup through 311. Commissioners also pressed staff on outreach for brush pickup and on whether KPI targets are updated annually; staff said KPIs are established in the sustainability plan and staff are working to refine and, if needed, update targets in coordination with Imagine Kalamazoo 2035 planning work.
What’s next: Staff said they will continue annual updates and plan to review KPI progress as 2025 data finalizes (Gish said some input from Consumers Energy arrives in May). Broadbent and Gish noted ongoing county coordination on recycling infrastructure grants and potential processing improvements for expanded polystyrene foam.
